Exchange For Change has confirmed the fees that will be paid to return point operators when England, Scotland and Northern Ireland launch their Deposit Return Scheme in October 2027.
The Return Handling Fee (RHF) is a payment made to retailers who operate a return point for consumers to return their in-scope beverage containers.
The fees will operate on a tiered basis across manual and automatic return points, and will provide for small to large volumes of returned containers.
Exchange For Change, the industry-led organisation delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has set the RHF at:
Manual return points
- 3p per container.
Automatic return points
- Tier 1 – 5p per container, up to 225,000 in-scope items returned annually.
- Tier 2 – 1.3p per container, for annual in-scope returns in excess of 225,000.
Exchange For Change says the RHF will be reviewed early next year, prior to the scheme going live, and will continue to be reviewed annually to take account of new data available from producers and retailers.
The annual review will use real data collected during the operation of the scheme, which will build a profile of the RHF and factors that impact it.
Russell Davies, Exchange For Change CEO, said: “We have taken on board a wide range of feedback provided by retailers, producers and trade bodies, and established a return handling fee that reflects the complexities of the UK retail landscape and ensures the scheme remains in balance.”
