Packaging · four nations
Deposit return scheme: 20p on a can from October 2027
The UK’s deposit return scheme starts on 1 October 2027 in all four nations.
Shoppers pay a deposit on drinks in plastic bottles and cans and get it back when they return the empty container.
Glass is out everywhere except Wales.
By nation
One date, three rules on glass
| Nation | Law | Launch | Glass |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Northern Ireland | SI 2025/67 | 1 October 2027 | Out |
| Scotland | SSI 2020/154, as amended by SSI 2025/188 | 1 October 2027 | Out since 20 June 2025 |
| Wales | WSI 2026/103 | 1 October 2027 | In, at 0p until 1 October 2031 |
Defra says it is “firmly committed” to launching in October 2027.
UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd, trading as Exchange for Change, runs the scheme: approved for England and Northern Ireland on 6 May 2025, designated in Scotland in June 2025 and appointed in Wales on 20 August 2026.
What is in
Which containers carry a deposit
In England and Northern Ireland, an in-scope container is made wholly or mainly from aluminium or steel, or PET plastic, with a capacity between 150 millilitres and 3 litres.
HDPE containers such as milk bottles are out, as are liquid medicines and flavour enhancers such as syrups and hot sauces.
The deposit is a flat 20p, which Exchange for Change announced in April 2026.
That figure is the administrator’s, not a statutory one, so it can move without new legislation.
Packaging EPR
Where DRS meets packaging EPR
Producers already pay no EPR disposal fees on PET, aluminium and steel drink containers of 150 ml to 3 litres: regulation 57(3) of SI 2024/1332 leaves them out of the fee calculation.
Glass drink containers stay inside packaging EPR.
If no UK deposit scheme is running on 1 January 2028, regulation 136 reads those carve-outs as omitted, and fees apply from the 2028/29 assessment year.
The administrator, registration and appeals provisions of SI 2025/67 came into force the day after it was made, well ahead of the 1 October 2027 launch.
The reporting side of packaging is on packaging EPR reporting requirements; the separate tax on plastic packaging is on plastic packaging tax.
Frequently asked
The deposit return scheme, answered
When does the UK deposit return scheme start?
On 1 October 2027 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
For England and Northern Ireland the date is fixed by regulation 1(2) of SI 2025/67, and the government says it is firmly committed to launching in October 2027.
How much is the deposit?
A flat 20p per container, according to Exchange for Change, the deposit management organisation, in April 2026.
The figure is the administrator’s, not a statutory one, so it can change without new legislation.
In Wales, glass carries a 0p deposit until 1 October 2031.
Which drinks containers are in the scheme?
In England and Northern Ireland, containers made wholly or mainly from PET plastic, aluminium or steel, with a capacity between 150 millilitres and 3 litres.
HDPE containers such as milk bottles, liquid medicines and flavour enhancers such as syrups are out.
Is glass in the deposit return scheme?
Not in England, Northern Ireland or Scotland: Scotland removed glass from its scheme on 20 June 2025.
Wales includes glass from launch, with a four-year transitional period to 30 September 2031 during which glass carries a 0p deposit.
Who runs the deposit return scheme?
UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd, trading as Exchange for Change, approved for England and Northern Ireland on 6 May 2025, designated in Scotland in June 2025 and appointed in Wales on 20 August 2026.
How does DRS affect packaging EPR?
PET, aluminium and steel drink containers of 150 millilitres to 3 litres are already outside packaging EPR disposal fees under regulation 57(3) of SI 2024/1332; glass ones are not.
If no UK deposit scheme is running on 1 January 2028, regulation 136 brings those containers back into EPR, with fees from the 2028/29 assessment year.
Has the deposit return scheme been delayed again?
No delay has been announced.
Every nation’s scheme is legislated for 1 October 2027, and Defra’s update page, last updated in August 2026, repeats the October 2027 commitment.
Sources
Primary sources
Dates and scope are from the instruments; the deposit is the administrator’s own published figure.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2025/67, regulation 1 (England and Northern Ireland)
The scheme in force on 1 October 2027; the administrator’s machinery the day after making.
- legislation.gov.ukSSI 2025/188 (Scotland)
Scotland’s launch moved to 1 October 2027 and glass removed from 20 June 2025.
- legislation.gov.ukWSI 2026/103 (Wales)
Wales launches 1 October 2027 with glass in scope.
- DefraUK government update: Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers
“We are firmly committed to our timeframe of launching a Deposit Return Scheme in October 2027.”
- Exchange for Change (the UK deposit management organisation)Exchange for Change confirms flat 20p deposit value for DRS
The administrator’s own statement of the deposit; not set by any statutory instrument.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332 (packaging EPR), regulation 57
Non-glass drink containers already outside EPR disposal fees.
- legislation.gov.ukSI 2024/1332 (packaging EPR), regulation 136
The fallback if no UK deposit scheme is running on 1 January 2028.