DEFRA has revealed the scope of its deposit return scheme (DRS) plans for England, Wales and Northern Ireland in its recently published Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) consultation response – and TOMRA has welcomed its approach.
Following Scotland’s lead, DEFRA and the Welsh Government have confirmed their intention to introduce an “all-in” Deposit Return Scheme for Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. This means it will apply to single-use and multipack drinks containers ranging from 50ml-3litres.
In England and Northern Ireland, PET plastic drink bottles and metal drinks cans will be included in the scheme. In Wales, glass drink bottles will also be included, in line with Scotland’s scheme which is due to launch in August 2023.
While the information was announced as part of the findings of the EPR Consultation, the full results from DEFRA’s consultation on the Deposit Return Scheme are yet to be announced and will be published in due course.
Truls Haug, Managing Director for TOMRA Collection UK & Ireland, said: “We welcome these new updates from DEFRA’s consultation which take us all one step further to closing the loop on single use beverage containers. We look forward to working with the appointed scheme operators, retailers and other return point operators to support a convenient and efficient scheme for consumers and all stakeholders. TOMRA has global experience in offering a range of solutions for all sizes of return points, including glass collection as needed.”
