The UK government has appointed the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) as the operator of the new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The UK DMO is a not-for-profit organisation led by businesses, created to deliver what is described as “one of the most significant environmental infrastructure programmes in a generation”.
The three governments (England, Northern Ireland and Scotland) have tasked the UK DMO with launching the DRS by October 2027.
From that date, when people buy drinks containers made from PET plastic, steel and aluminium between 150ml and 3 litres, they will pay a small deposit - which they will get back in full when they return the empty container for recycling.
The UK DMO’s responsibilities include designing and operating the systems that make the scheme work - from producer registration to logistics, finance, fraud prevention and public communications.
It is governed by a board that represents voices from the drinks and retail sectors across all three nations.
The board consists of a group of ”highly experienced” figures from companies including Shepley Spring, Radnor Hills, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Heineken UK, Lidl, Tesco and Co-op.
Members were nominated by trade associations representing both large and small producers, major supermarkets, small convenience stores and wholesalers.
Recruitment is also ongoing for an independent Chair and non-executive directors, said UK DMO.
It will now begin engaging with partners, including the three governments, business (such as drinks producers and retailers), as well as consumer and environmental groups to design and operate a scheme which “works for everyone”.
Producers, retailers and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the UK DMO website and register their interest.
The DRS is expected to create up to 4,000 jobs across the UK and will bring significant investment in infrastructure required to deliver the scheme including storage, logistics, and reprocessing, according to a report from The Countryside Charity.
In Scotland, the Scottish Ministers have also decided that the UK DMO should be designated as the DRS scheme administrator.
In a joint statement, the UK DMO Board said: “DRS is an opportunity to deliver a transformational step forward in the circular economy in the UK and the appointment of the DMO is a major milestone in that journey. We don’t underestimate the scale of the challenge, but our aim is simple - to build a system that’s fair, efficient and easy to use.
”Our work is already underway, and we’ll be working closely with governments, businesses of all sizes, environmental groups and consumer bodies to move forward as quickly as possible.”
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