(Note: this information is applicable to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland)

Defra have confirmed that the Deposit Scheme for drinks containers (England and Northern Ireland) Regulations 2025 were approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and came into force on Friday 24^th January 2025.

These regulations provide powers to appoint the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) who will operate the scheme, which will launch on 1 October 2027. The regulations also set out:

• The scope of the DRS
• The role of retailers, drinks producers and suppliers
• The functions of the DMO
• The monitoring, compliance and enforcement measures that will be in place to support the running of the scheme

Guidance on the regulations for England and Northern Ireland has been published and can be found on Gov.uk.

The next step is to appoint a DMO. Applications for this opportunity opened in December 2024 and will close on Monday 3^rd February. Defra will work with the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland and Scottish Government to assess applications and, following approval of the Regulations in each nation, appoint the DMO(s) in April 2025.

In November 2024, the Welsh Government announced their withdrawal from the four-nation approach to DRS. Defra have stated that they remain committed to delivering a Deposit Return Scheme and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Government and DAERA in Northern Ireland to launch the scheme across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland in October 2027. They remain in close working partnership with Welsh Government as they make decisions regarding a DRS in Wales and are keen to keep the door open to providing as much interoperability of schemes across the UK as possible.

Key links

To view the regulations, please visit Gov.uk.

To view the Defra press release, please visit Gov.uk.