Delays continue for Welsh drinks container return scheme

The Welsh Government is pressing ahead with plans for its own deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, including glass, with a potential launch around 2027.

Wales has one of the highest recycling rates globally and has long intended to introduce a DRS to incentivise the return of containers like bottles and cans.

Under a DRS, consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing a drink, which is refunded when the empty container is returned to a collection point.

The Welsh Government first backed a DRS in 2018. A joint UK-wide scheme involving England, Northern Ireland and Wales was originally scheduled for 2025 but has since been delayed to 2027.

That scheme will not include glass, prompting the Welsh Government to withdraw from the joint process in November 2024.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, said Wales would develop a system “that supports the transition to reuse for all drinks containers including those made from glass.”

The Cabinet Secretary told the Senedd’s Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure (CCEI) Committee:

“…we’re in a different position in Wales, and we’re keen to help the UK by moving ahead and showing where I think we will all eventually coalesce, which is coming together with DRS based on reuse as well as recycling.”

Including glass presents practical and legal challenges due to the UK Internal Market Act 2020.

This Act allows goods lawfully sold in one part of the UK to be sold in any other, meaning Wales cannot require out-of-country producers to comply with its DRS rules. That could complicate container labelling and enforcement.

While Scotland initially planned to include glass in its own DRS, it reversed that position in 2023 after the UK Government objected. Wales has decided to continue with glass, accepting that difficulties linked to the Internal Market Act may persist.

The Cabinet Secretary said in March 2025 that the Welsh Government would not seek a legal exemption from the Act, instead favouring cooperation with the UK Government.

A consultation on the Wales-only scheme is expected during 2025-26. While no firm start date has been announced, Mr Irranca-Davies said a full scheme could still be in place by 2027.

“Originally, the timescale would have seen a full reuse scheme in place in 2027. That’s still in our minds, but, realistically, with engagement with stakeholders, we can put everything in place for the full roll-out in Wales not far off that timescale. I haven’t got a specific date yet, but we’re not starting from scratch with this,” he told the CCEI Committee in January 2025.

The UK, Scottish and Northern Irish governments have now appointed a scheme operator for their aligned schemes, which are also expected to start in 2027, though they will exclude glass.