Revived DRS plans will speed UK’s move to a low-waste circular economy: ISB Global

The decision to revive and bring forward plans for a nationwide Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will lift the country’s waste management sector and also speed the move to a low-waste circular economy, ISB Global, the UK-based waste planning software company, said.

In a statement at the beginning of the month, nature minister Mary Creagh, whose responsibilities include the circular economy, confirmed the new Labour government plans to roll out a UK-wide DRS for PET bottles and steel and aluminium drinks cans ahead of the October 2027 date, originally proposed back in March by the previous Conservative government.

Plans for a deposit scheme like those already in use in countries across Europe and further afield were originally announced in 2018 and then incorporated into the then government’s 2021 Environment Act. But the scheme has been delayed several times, most recently in April of this year due to complexities in harmonising the policy between the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales with England.

Commenting on the decision, Matt Gawn, market intelligence officer at ISB Global, said, “A Deposit Return Scheme is long overdue here in the UK. Deposit-based recycling schemes have been operating effectively in other European countries and elsewhere for more than 20 years and their benefits are clear. In some cases, these schemes have achieved recycling rates of 90 percent or more.

“By adding a financial value to recyclable items, a deposit scheme encourages people to change their behaviour and hopefully be more responsible when disposing of their used plastic and metal containers. Put simply, if they don’t recycle, they’re out of pocket.

“This might prompt people to think more in general about what we all throw away and how much we all throw away – including how many items we send to landfill - and the damaging effect that this waste has on the health of our environment."

Gawn went on to explain how the planned deposit scheme provides the UK waste management and recycling ecosystem with much needed focus and clarity for the future direction of the sector.

“The government’s confirmation means companies involved in the value chain – manufacturers, retailers and waste management operators – can now properly commit to planning and investing in the physical infrastructure and IT systems needed to support a deposit scheme, from in-store collection points to payouts for consumers.”

These same companies also need to put in place or expand existing underlying technologies and processes that efficiently and automatically plan for, record, track and redistribute the materials collected via the scheme for their eventual recycling for secondary use.

Gawn continued: “The UK deposit scheme is a groundbreaking first step in a wider journey for the UK to achieve a low-waste way of life and a more circular economy. That’s because it requires food and drink manufacturers, retailers and waste management and recycling operators to work together to put in place the facilities, processes and systems needed for the scheme to be successful.

“Looking ahead, companies and government agencies can apply the lessons and practices they learn from this experience to collect, recycle and distribute other material resources for reuse here in the UK, such as textiles, wood, and metals - including precious and heavy metals retrieved from e-waste.

“A deposit scheme isn’t enough by itself to solve the UK’s waste problem,” Gawn added. “But it’s a positive statement of intent that shows the government wants to reduce the volume of waste the country sends to landfill and conserve the environment. Hopefully, this decision leads to other parts of the 2021 Environment Act being enacted - such as Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility for brands and manufacturers, an end to UK waste exports overseas, and meaningful action to cut plastic pollution as well.”