The Welsh Government have delivered a recent update on a Welsh Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
Back in 2019, Scotland announced they would be establishing a DRS to seek to promote and secure an increase in recycling of materials, forming part of the Scottish Government's response to the global climate emergency, by ensuring the targeted materials are collected in larger quantities and separately to other materials.
The UK Government later announced there would be a four nation approach to a DRS across the UK. This led to the implementation of the Scottish DRS being delayed until other UK nations implemented one.
England and Northern Ireland have recently announced that they intend to introduce deposit return schemes across the UK in October 2027. Scotland have therefore delayed their DRS to this date. However in November 2024 Wales stated they would not proceed with a 'four nation joint DRS'.
The Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs has recently stated that they have been engaging with stakeholders to bring forward a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that delivers for Wales.
As a country, Wales has led the way in terms of recycling rates, and in 2024 Wales had the second best recycling rates in the world, coming in just behind Austria.
Recent discussions have reaffirmed the 'importance of a DRS that delivers tangible benefits for Wales, while maximising interoperability across the UK.'
Engagement with industry in Wales has cited concerns over DRS schemes being introduced in other parts of the UK, with no scheme in place in Wales, carrying risk of operational complexity and associated costs.
As a result of this the Welsh government have announced they are willing to accelerate their implementation timetable for a Welsh DRS to align with the rest of the UK. In line with this announcement, the Welsh Government have published the Deposit Return Scheme for Wales - Question and answer document on the Deposit Return Scheme for Wales, a guidance document covering questions and answers on a Welsh DRS.
This guidance confirms that glass will remain in scope for the Welsh DRS, and for those materials within the DRS scope in Wales (but not yet in the other schemes within the UK) they will take a phased approach which avoids unintended consequences to supply chains or creating additional fraud risks. By phasing in the requirements, it will avoid those risks while ensuring the scheme will still deliver benefits to Wales.
They have also confirmed that a Welsh DRS will be designed to consider reuse from the outset. This will not only ensure that a DRS will be effective in Wales, but it will also reduce material costs and improve resilience for producers and provide a clear pathway to net zero for the sector.
The Welsh Government have announced their commitment to continuing to work with other National governments across the UK on DRS and they are now engaging with the appointed Deposit Management Organisation for their schemes to ensure there are clear arrangements in place for the introduction of the schemes.
Update - on 18 August 2025, the Welsh Government launched a consultation on delivering a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers in Wales. It is intended that their own DRS will come into force in October 2027 alongside the rest of the UK.
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