The Deposit Return Scheme Has a Name. Now the Hard Work Begins.

The UK’s Deposit Return Scheme, now officially branded Exchange for Change, will require every retailer selling drinks in PET plastic bottles or aluminium and steel cans to host a return point where consumers can claim back their deposit. For large supermarkets with space, budget and logistics teams, the path to compliance is manageable. For the corner shop, the independent convenience store and the small off-licence, it is a considerably more complex proposition.

Campaigners have warned that small and independent retailers risk being left behind in preparations for the 2027 rollout unless deposit return technology is made more flexible and affordable, with concerns that under current plans exemptions could sideline smaller stores, particularly in urban areas, creating what campaigners describe as a postcode lottery for returns access.

That concern is a legitimate one. A DRS that works brilliantly in supermarkets but leaves high streets and convenience stores without viable return points will not achieve the 90% collection rate the scheme is targeting, and it will place an unfair burden on the independent retailers who serve some of the communities that need accessible recycling infrastructure most.

When you buy a bottle of water, a can of beer or a soft drink in a plastic bottle today, the packaging cost is built invisibly into the price. You drink it, and the can or bottle goes in a bin, a recycling box, or, in some cases, over a hedge. Some of it gets recycled. A significant amount does not.

From October 2027, that changes. Under the Deposit Return Scheme, a small refundable deposit, expected to be around 20p per container, will be added to the price of every eligible drink sold in the UK. When you finish the drink and return the empty container to a designated collection point, you get your 20p back. If you do not return it, you do not. It is a straightforward financial nudge to change behaviour, and in countries that have already introduced similar schemes it works remarkably well. Finland, for example, achieves close to 100% return rates for aluminium cans.

The scheme covers single-use drinks containers between 150ml and 3 litres made from PET plastic, aluminium or steel. That means plastic bottles and cans. It does not include glass in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, though Wales is introducing its own parallel scheme that does include glass.

The containers that qualify need to carry the Exchange for Change logo, which is the official brand identity for the UK scheme, announced in January 2026. Producers must register their products with Exchange for Change before the October 2027 launch.

Producers and importers of drinks in eligible containers must register with the scheme, update their packaging to carry the correct labelling, and pay a fee per container placed on the market. That fee funds the infrastructure and operations of the scheme.

Retailers selling eligible drinks must provide a return point where consumers can hand back empty containers and claim their deposit. For large supermarkets, this typically means installing a reverse vending machine, a device that scans and accepts containers and issues a refund via a voucher or digital payment. For smaller retailers, compact and manual return point options are available, and the market for these is developing rapidly ahead of the 2027 deadline.

Consumers do not have a legal obligation, but the financial incentive is designed to be compelling enough to change habits at scale.

It is genuinely good to be able to point to a homegrown answer to this problem. CMB RVM Solutions, part of CarnaudMetalbox Engineering, has partnered with Smiths News Recycle to offer the CMB RVM Smart Lite, a compact self-service reverse vending machine designed specifically with smaller retail environments in mind.

What makes this particularly notable is where it comes from. CMB RVM Solutions brings together over 150 years of engineering heritage and more than 20 years of RVM expertise, with machines designed and manufactured in the UK. The company has drawn directly on its deep experience in metal can manufacturing equipment and precision engineering to address a very specific gap in the market — producing high volumes of smaller, compact units suited to the spaces and budgets of independent retailers rather than simply scaling down a supermarket solution.

The range covers compact models for local shops where space is limited, as well as mobile units that can be deployed in rural or high-footfall locations without permanent return points. The machine has even been exhibited in the House of Lords as part of a panel discussion on how retailers and policymakers can prepare for the 2027 launch.

Andrew Truelove of CMB RVM Solutions: “Independent retailers are ready to help tackle the packaging crisis, but they need the right support. If the Deposit Return Scheme is to succeed, it must be inclusive.”

The scheme is confirmed and on track for October 2027. Exchange for Change, the organisation responsible for running the scheme, was appointed in May 2025 and formally unveiled its branding in January 2026. In April 2026, detailed technical criteria were published setting out exactly which containers will be accepted by reverse vending machines, giving producers the certainty they need to begin packaging updates.

Registration for producers opens in late 2026, which means the preparation work, including packaging reviews, labelling changes and logistics planning, needs to be underway now rather than next year.

The environmental case for DRS is straightforward. The UK currently generates around 31 billion single-use drinks containers every year, and despite growing recycling infrastructure a meaningful proportion still ends up as litter or in residual waste. DRS is designed to drive collection rates above 90%, channelling high-quality, clean material back into the supply chain for reuse.

But there is a less obvious commercial dimension too. The containers collected through DRS represent a significant volume of high-quality aluminium and PET plastic. A well-functioning scheme creates a domestic supply of recycled material that reduces dependence on virgin resources and imported recyclate. For manufacturers using recycled content, that matters both for cost and for meeting their own sustainability commitments.

And for retailers, particularly smaller independents, hosting a return point is not just a compliance obligation. It is a footfall opportunity. International experience consistently shows that consumers return to the stores where they bring back their containers, making DRS a quiet driver of repeat visits for retailers who embrace it well.

If you produce, import or sell drinks in plastic bottles or cans, the Deposit Return Scheme will affect your business. The timeline is fixed, the scheme design is confirmed, and the planning work that needs to happen before October 2027 is substantial enough that starting now rather than later is not just advisable, it is necessary.