New Research Reveals Unawareness Of Plans To Transform Recycling System - Deposit Return On Drinks Containers Coming

11th August 2022

16 per cent of Brits admit they don't recycle.

58 per cent of consumers don't realise they'll be affected.

A third of businesses have never heard of deposit return schemes.

40 per cent of businesses believe the schemes will have a negative impact their business.

GS1 UK is calling for a focus on simplicity and consistency to make DRS a success.

New research has revealed that 16 per cent of Brits don't recycle, with a lack of knowledge about what can and can't be recycled cited as the most common reason.

A new poll of 2,000 adults found that a third (34 per cent) believe recycling is unnecessarily complicated, whilst 45 per cent think that simplicity would be the most important aspect if the recycling system were to be redesigned.

In fact, recent figures from DEFRA show that the amount of household waste recycled in England fell by 1.5 per cent in 2020 to 44 per cent, 6 per cent below the EU minimum target of 50 per cent.

The research was commissioned by GS1 UK to gauge consumer awareness and attitudes ahead of the upcoming implementation of deposit return schemes.

Deposit return schemes are designed to encourage recycling by charging consumers a deposit on drinks containers which is refunded when items are returned to a collection point.

All four UK nations have announced that they will introduce DRS by 2025, with the Scottish scheme set to launch next year.

Despite the schemes' impact on consumers' wallets, the study found that only 42 per cent had heard of them and understood how they worked, whilst a quarter (26 per cent) had no idea what they were at all.

When how a potential scheme could work was explained, 60 per cent of consumers surveyed said being able to reclaim a deposit would make them more likely to buy products included in the schemes, and 57 per cent would do a lot more recycling if it meant they wouldn’t be left out of pocket.

The final rules and regulations are still to be decided with the four UK nations planning on taking different approaches with different timelines. GS1 UK, as a result, is calling for a future-proofed approach that delivers simplicity, convenience and ease of use for both consumers and industry.

Anne Godfrey, CEO of GS1 UK said: "The introduction of deposit return schemes will fundamentally change the way we recycle for the better. It will however add costs and complexity not just for consumers, but industry, waste collectors and local authorities.

"A successful scheme relies on consumer participation. Our data demonstrates that simplicity is key and therefore needs to be at the heart of any successful scheme."

GS1 UK’s research amongst business owners also revealed a lack of awareness with 38 per cent that were not aware of the proposed scheme at all.

Despite the research showing that 69 per cent of businesses believe the introduction of DRS will be a positive step for their industry, four in 10 think that a deposit return scheme will have a negative impact on their own businesses.

Consumers could be in for a double price hike on items included in the schemes. A third (33 per cent) of businesses surveyed said they will raise the RRP of products to account for added operational costs and complexities.

Anne Godfrey continued: "There’s no doubt that the introduction of deposit return schemes can be a positive step forward, but the needs of consumers need to be carefully factored into their design if they are to have a meaningful impact.

"Our research has shown a little incentive can go a long way to encourage people to do the right thing and recycle more. The operational impact for businesses, compounded by the lack of awareness, means there are significant challenges that will need to be addressed in the next two years.

"We have a limited window of opportunity to help the industry solve this conundrum. In the meantime, much more needs to be done to inform consumers and change their behaviour. Only through this level of focus and collaboration will any scheme stand a chance of being successful."

Nadiya Catel-Arutyunova, policy advisor for the British Retail Consortium, said: "A well-designed DRS can bring us one step closer to creating a circular economy and the retail industry is working tirelessly to make it happen.

"A successful scheme needs to be simple and straightforward for shoppers if we are to change recycling behaviours. It also needs informed consumers, which is why we back calls for greater awareness raising from UK governments and deposit management organisations, to ensure customers know exactly how to return their containers and redeem their deposits."

Live August 2023
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will go live on 16 August 2023, Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater has announced in a statement to the Scottish Parliament.

An independent review had found that, due to the pandemic, the previous go-live date of July 2022 was no longer practical.

DRS infrastructure, such as reverse vending machines, will start rolling out in earnest from summer 2022 and, where possible, the Scottish Government will work with retailers to enable use of this infrastructure on a voluntary basis from November 2022.

The Minister confirmed that the design of the scheme remains unchanged and that the target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2025 will be maintained.

Zero Waste Scotland will continue to support the scheme towards implementation, and will work closely with the Scottish Government, Circularity Scotland and Orkney islands Council on a phased implementation of the scheme on the Orkney Islands, which will start this year.

It is still on course to be the first Deposit Return Scheme to be implemented in the UK.

How will it work?
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme has been designed to make it easy for us all to do the right thing. People pay a small deposit of 20p when they buy a drink in a single-use container and then get the deposit back when they return the empty bottle or can.

Scotland’s deposit return scheme
The UK’s first deposit return scheme will go live across Scotland on 16 August 2023, helping to recycle billions of bottles and cans every year.

The announcement follows an independent review, which considered the impact of COVID-19 on the scheme.

Addressing parliament, the Circular Economy Minister set out plans for a phased implementation of the scheme, and said the target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2024 will be maintained.

As part of the phased implementation, the Scottish Government is working with retailers on a voluntary basis to enable people to start returning their bottles and cans for recycling from November 2022.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said:

"This will be the first scheme of its kind in the UK and one of the most environmentally ambitious and accessible in Europe.

“Implementing a scheme on this scale is a massive national undertaking involving tens of thousands of producers and retailers. Given the challenges that the pandemic and Brexit have placed upon these businesses, it is disappointing - but understandable - that the independent review concluded the original start date was no longer feasible.

“Despite calls to water down the scheme by removing materials or waiting for other nations to catch up, we have maintained our ambition and ensured that the scheme will still meet its original target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2024.

“We have also published a clear plan for delivery, with critical milestones on the path to full implementation. These include use of return points on a voluntary basis by retailers from November 2022.

“I am also delighted that Orkney will go early in offering a return scheme, which will provide benefits to the local community and recycling."

Councillor Graham Sinclair, Chair of Orkney Council's Development and Infrastructure Committee, said:

“Orkney Islands Council is committed to working with both local and national organisations to improve recycling rates and to ensure that materials are kept in use for as long as possible. We welcome this initiative on the return of drinks containers in Orkney and are supportive of the aims and objectives.

“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government, Circularity Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland to ensure that this initiative brings benefit to local community groups and increases opportunities for recycling drinks containers across all of Orkney.”

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland said:

“Zero Waste Scotland is proud to have advised on the design of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, a gamechanger with multiple benefits including reduced carbon emissions, more and better recycling, and the removal of up to one third of the litter from our streets.

“Despite the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic I’m delighted we now have a go-live date for this important scheme, which Zero Waste Scotland will continue to support.

“We are excited to be working with Orkney Islands Council, Circularity Scotland and the Scottish Government on an initiative on the islands of Orkney from next year.”

Background

People will pay a 20p deposit when they buy a drink that comes in a single-use container made of PET plastic, steel and aluminium, or glass. They will get their money back when they return the empty container to one of tens of thousands of return points.

Regulations asking Parliament to approve the change in go-live date will be laid on Wednesday 15 December.

The Minister said the legal requirement to collect at least 90% of eligible containers will now have to be met in the second year of operation, not the third. This means that the scheme will still be expected to meet its original target of achieving 90% collection rates by 2024.

Key milestones for delivery of the scheme include:

by March 2022, Circularity Scotland will have signed contracts with partners to deliver its logistics, operations and IT systems
by August 2022, the public awareness campaign will be launched and counting and sorting centres will start to be built

retailers will start rolling out the return infrastructure in earnest from next summer and we are working with them to start using that infrastructure on a voluntary basis from November 2022.
Orkney will see a community-run return scheme operating in November 2022.

in January 2023, Circularity Scotland and SEPA will begin the process to register producers

in July 2023, there will be end-to-end testing of containers through the system.