Households will be given a financial reward to return empty bottles to supermarkets.
Households across the UK will be paid to bring empty bottles and cans back to supermarkets with “no receipt needed” as part of a new initiative to reduce waste.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed an upcoming Desposit Return Scheme for empty drinks containers to “stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our high streets, countryside, and oceans”. In an update last month, Defra confirmed that the scheme will be introduced across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from October 2027 and will see people given a financial reward for bringing back their used emply bottles and cans to dedicated collection points.
These return sites will be based at major supermarkets across the country, such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, as well as grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents that sell drinks, so that the containers can be recycled – and people will then be paid for their returns.
Households will be paid to bring empty bottles back to supermarkets under a new scheme (Image: Getty)
Similar schemes have already been set up in more than 50 countries worldwide, including Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, to encourage people to recycle more single-use drink containers, and now soon the UK will launch its own.
In an update published in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 in December, Defra outlined its plans for minimising waste, stating: “Introduce the Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers from October 2027. This will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres made of polyethylene terephthalate plastic, steel, and aluminium.”
Defra has previously confirmed to The Express that the following drinks containers will be included in the scheme, so households that return any of these to a valid return point (which will either be manual or automated using a reverse vending machine) will receive a cash reward:
All single-use drinks containers that:
- are made wholly or mainly from aluminium or steel, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic
- have a capacity of between 150 millilitres and 3 litres
- are likely to be used only once or for a short period of time
Containers with a lid made from other materials are still included. The deposit will not apply to containers if they are:
- not single use
- made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) – this is the material used to make milk bottles.
The scheme does not include containers used for liquid medicines (such as cough syrup) or flavour enhancers or sweeteners to add to drinks (such as syrups or hot sauce).
When a bottles or cans are returned, retailers must pay the deposit back to consumers at the point of the return either via a voucher, card or cash.
It is hoped that by giving people a financial incentive to recycle their old bottles and cans, the scheme will help to significantly reduce the amount of plastic that goes to waste.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh told The Express: “This Government is committed to cleaning up our streets and ending our throwaway culture. Deposit return schemes are proven to reduce the littering of cans and plastic bottles and drive up recycling rates which have flatlined for 15 years. Our packaging reforms will create 25,000 jobs and lead to more than £10 billion investment in recycling during the next decade.”
Retailers in urban areas will be exempt from hosting a return point if they have a retail space of less than 100m2, although they can still apply to be a voluntary return point.
Other types of organisations that sell drinks can also apply to host a voluntary return point, including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, mobile caterers, businesses with vending machines, and gyms, sports or community centres.
Defra has said Wales is working on its own plastic deposit return scheme, which will work alongside the schemes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Defra added: “Under this scheme, a redeemable deposit is placed on specific drinks containers that can be claimed when the item is returned to a collection point, such as a local supermarket.
“There’s no need for a receipt or proof of purchase, so anyone can return their own drinks containers or ones that they find, as long as they’re in good nick. This means we can all chip in to help clean up our communities – and get something for it.
“This simple change will reward people for doing the right thing and recycling their empty drinks containers. Together, we will turn the tide on plastic waste.”
