The fees forecourt operators will be paid for handling returned empty plastic bottles and cans under the Deposit Return Scheme could leave many out of pocket.
Twenty pence has been confirmed as the deposit to be applied on soft drink purchases and then refunded on return of the container as part of the Deposit Return Scheme in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Next year’s Deposit Return Scheme that mandates retailers take back empty drinks containers represents a big opportunity for forecourt firms due to increased footfall and bigger customer baskets, industry experts have advised.
Independent retailers are set to receive grants of £6,000 per store to help with the cost of machines designed to recycle bottles and cans under the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme.
The complexities implicit in devolved governments are writ large upon the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme, which will now see glass bottles included in the Welsh DRS, unlike the schemes that will run in Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland.
Plans to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme in Wales, which will see consumers charged a small fee when purchasing certain types of drink containers, being refunded when they return these to a shop, have moved one step closer with the launch of a government consultation.
The government has selected and named an industry coalition to run the country’s Deposit Return Scheme for single-used plastic and metal drinks containers in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
MPs have voted to approve plans to introduce a deposit return scheme for drink containers in England and Northern Ireland in October 2027.
The Association of Convenience Stores has raised serious concerns over the Welsh government’s decision to create its own deposit return scheme (DRS).