DRS operator appointed in England, Scotland and NI

UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO) has been announced as the operator of the new Deposit Return Schemes in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Due to go live in October 2027, the new Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland include single-use plastic and metal drinks containers between 150ml to 3 litres as in-scope materials.

The Welsh Government withdrew from the UK-wide DRS due to time constraints that prevented the UK Government from considering a request for an exclusion from the Internal Market Act, Circular Online reported last year.

UK DMO is responsible for designing and operating the systems that make the scheme work, including producer registration, logistics, finance, fraud prevention and public communications.

The appointment has been made by the UK Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland (DAERA), and Scottish Ministers have also decided that the UK DMO should be designated as the DRS scheme administrator.

UK DMO is a business-led, not-for-profit organisation governed by a Board of professionals from across the drinks and retail sector across all three nations. Recruitment is also underway for an independent Chair and non-executive directors.

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.

Members have been nominated by trade associations representing both large and small producers, major supermarkets, small convenience stores and wholesalers from across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

UK DMO will now begin engaging with partners including the three governments, business – including drinks producers and retailers – consumers, and environmental groups to design and operate a DRS.

The Board includes figures from companies including Shepley Spring, Radnor Hills, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Heineken UK, Lidl, Tesco and Co-op.

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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