Deposit Return Scheme moves to next stage with implementation of legislation
Legislation for the incoming Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Northern Ireland was implemented on 27th January.
The scheme will come into effect here in October 2027, after the Environment Minister previously confirmed his Department’s plans to take it forward were still in place, despite delays to the Welsh scheme.
The DRS is a money-back scheme for single-use drinks containers, which will incentivise people to recycle their drinks bottles and cans to redeem their deposits.
With an estimated 12 billion plastic drinks bottles and 14 billion drinks cans per year being used by consumers, many containers are subsequently littered or disposed of in residual waste, despite being recyclable.
Legislation for Northern Ireland and England came into force on 27th January, thus enabling the appointment of the scheme administrator – known as the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) – in April this year.
The legislation sets out the scope of the DRS; the role of retailers, drinks producers and suppliers; the functions of the DMO; and the monitoring, compliance and enforcement measures that will be in place to support the running of the scheme – including the roles of the DEFRA Secretary of State, DAERA Ministers and regulators.
Minister Andrew Muir MLA said he has “ambitious goals” to protect the climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste.
“The creation of a DRS plays a key part in delivering those goals,” he said.
“The introduction of the new parliamentary regulations is a significant step in that process and signals our commitment to move forward together to make those ambitions a reality.”
