Five companies appointed to collect and process drinks containers under DRS

Exchange For Change, the organisation delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in the UK, has announced the creation of a new recycling infrastructure that will support the delivery of the scheme from October 2027.

Five waste management and recycling providers have been appointed to provide logistics and processing activities across the UK.

The appointed companies and the regions they will cover are:

• SUEZ – the North-East, North-West, West-Central and South West regions of England

• CIRQLR – the East Central, South and South East regions of England

• Re.Group – Scotland, working in partnership with Hargreaves Services plc

• Bywaters – London

• Re-Gen – Northern Ireland

These companies will be responsible for collecting the returned bottles and cans from return points and processing them so that the material can be recycled into new drinks containers.

The agreements will unlock millions of pounds of investment in the UK’s recycling infrastructure and are expected to create around 700 new jobs. Three dedicated DRS processing facilities in Scotland, Scunthorpe and Guildford, two dedicated DRS processing lines in Isle of Dogs and Newry, and one shared-use plastics recycling facility in Avonmouth will be operational from October 2027.

Expansion will follow with the creation of three new purpose-built processing facilities in Ely in Cambridgeshire, Knowsley in Merseyside, and Avonmouth, which will be operational from October 2030. Around 400 new recycling vehicles are also expected to be mobilised to facilitate the collection of DRS materials from every corner of the UK.

From October 2027, the Deposit Return Scheme will see a 20p deposit applied to all single use PET plastic, aluminium and steel drinks containers between 150ml and three litres. Consumers will then get their deposit back when they take back their drinks containers to a return point.

Russell Davies, Exchange for Change chief executive, said: “The Deposit Return Scheme will transform how the UK recycles.

“Confirming our logistics and processing partners is another significant milestone in our preparations for the scheme going live from October 2027, and it is exciting to see investment in assets and facilities moving ahead, which will also generate hundreds of jobs across the UK.

“Together the five waste management companies will create a resilient and scalable collections network that will ensure efficient collection and processing of DRS materials. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver this crucial element of the deposit return scheme when it goes live in October 2027.”

It is estimated that every year, more than 6.5 billion cans and bottles in the UK end up as waste rather than being recycled. The average return rate in European countries with a DRS is 90%.