Written question asked by Ruth Cadbury (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 November 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 November 2024. It was answered by Mary Creagh (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 November 2024 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Bottles: Deposit Return Schemes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department have taken to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles.

Answer: This Government is committed to delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in October 2027, as agreed with the devolved governments of the UK, and in accordance with the Joint Policy Statement published in April 2024.

We plan to lay the DRS regulations for England/Northern Ireland before Parliament in late 2024 and for them to come into force in early 2025 (assuming parliamentary time allows) and for the Deposit Management Organisation, who will run the scheme, to be appointed in April 2025 as planned.

Secondary information