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Policy

Managing waste

From
Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
Directorate
Environment and Forestry Directorate
Topic
Environment and climate change
Policy actions  3 of 5

Deposit return scheme

We are committed to introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drinks containers in Scotland to help increase recycling, reduce litter and meet our climate change targets.  

A DRS works by encouraging people to recycle. When purchasing a drink in a single-use plastic bottle or metal can, a small deposit is paid upfront. The deposit is refunded when the empty bottle or can is returned. The scheme will be managed by an organisation known as the scheme administrator. 

Timescales for the scheme 

We will continue to work closely with the UK Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland to support the successful rollout of the scheme across Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland in October 2027.  

We will also work closely the Welsh Government as they develop their plans for a separate DRS.

Benefits of the scheme

Designed alongside Zero Waste Scotland, the scheme is expected to: 

  • reduce littering by a third 
  • increase recycling of single-use plastic and metal drinks containers to 90% 
  • reduce carbon emissions by 4 million tonnes over 25 years – the equivalent of taking 83,000 cars off the road

Glass: approach

We continue to believe that including glass in DRS is the best way to achieve our 90% target glass recycling rate, as demonstrated by successful international schemes. Nearly all of the 57 of the deposit return schemes operating worldwide include glass.

Evidence from Zero Waste Scotland also shows there is a compelling environmental and economic business case for an ‘all-in’ scheme. 

However, we accept a more limited scheme is better than no DRS at all and that is currently the only way to ensure we can move this important scheme forward in Scotland.

We remain committed to achieving high levels of glass recycling, and will regularly assess our progress towards key environmental objectives.

Re-use and refill

Manufacturing and recycling of glass containers has a high carbon intensity, relative to other container types. Reuse and refill, rather than recycling, may be a comparatively better option for glass drinks containers. We also expect reuse and refill to have strong uptake with consumers. We will continue to work with the other UK governments and industry to explore opportunities for reuse and refill  to support continued decarbonsiation across the drinks sector.

Developing the scheme

A joint policy statement (April 2024) sets out to achieve maximum alignment across the schemes and make them as simple as possible for consumers and businesses across the UK.

The preparations we had put in place to deliver DRS in Scotland have helped inform an aligned approach with England and Northern Ireland, based on significant engagement and feedback from business.

We published a full business case setting out details of the proposed deposit return scheme in May 2019. This followed a public consultation in 2018.  

To reflect changes to the DRS in Scotland following the Joint Policy Statement, impact assessments have been updated:

Legal framework 

Amending legislation has been laid before the Scottish Parliament to give effect to the policy positions set out in the joint policy statement.

The draft Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2025 (the 2025 Regulations) make further amendments to the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020. The draft Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland (Designation of Scheme Administrator) Order 2025 (the Order) designates UK Deposit Management Organisation Limited as the scheme administrator for the deposit and return scheme for Scotland, and confers functions on the scheme administrator relating to the operation of the DRS. The Order and the 2025 Regulations were laid on 2 May 2025 and both require to be approved by the Scottish Parliament before they can be made by the Scottish Ministers. Parliamentary scrutiny should be complete by late June 2025.

The legal framework for the scheme was created by the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020, which were passed by the Scottish Parliament in May 2020. The Regulations have been amended by the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2022, the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2023 and the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2023.  

Independent reviews  

A number of independent reviews have been conducted into DRS since 2021:  

Further information 

The following documents outline the DRS development process:

Further information about the deposit return scheme on the Zero Waste Scotland website

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