Wales has confirmed it will collect glass as part of its Deposit Return Scheme after the UK Government granted an exemption to the Internal Market Act.
It has now been confirmed Wales’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will include glass as an in-scope material when it launches alongside the other UK nations’ schemes in October 2027.
However, there will be a four year transition period where no deposit is charged on glass containers to manage interoperability with the other UK schemes. Glass containers will also be exempt from labelling during this period.
At the end of the transition period, the Welsh Government says it also plans to phase in reuse as part of the scheme.
The Regulations will now be considered by the Senedd. They set the overall framework for DRS, enable the appointment of a Deposit Management Organisation, and define the scheme’s purpose and scope.
The Welsh scheme will also allow people to donate their deposit refunds to charity.
Last year, Wales withdrew from developing an aligned DRS across the UK. In a written statement, Welsh Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies explained that Wales could not proceed with a DRS aligned across the UK due to issues caused by the UK Internal Market Act.
Circular Online learned that the Welsh Government withdrew due to time constraints that prevented the UK Government from considering a request for an exclusion from the UKIM Act.
Scotland’s DRS collapsed in 2023 after the then Conservative Government declined a request for full exclusion from the UKIM Act, which meant it could not include glass in its scheme.
Huw Irranca-Davies, who is also Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, said in a written statement: “We have always been clear that we need to progress a scheme which meets Wales’ needs and delivers improvement against our high recycling rates, whilst managing interoperability across the UK.”
Irranca-Davies continued: “To support the smooth delivery of the schemes across the UK, I have proposed to the UK, Northern Ireland and Scottish Governments the establishment of an implementation taskforce to oversee interoperability, working in partnership with the appointed industry-led Deposit Management Organisations.”
CIWM says the DRS launch should have been deferred
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management’s (CIWM) Director of Policy, Communications, and External Affairs, Dan Cooke, says a UK-wide DRS is preferable for the public, retailers and most in the recycling and waste sector.
However, Cooke said the inclusion of glass containers in Wales will likely cause complexity for the initial operation of the scheme, and potential confusion with users.
“We acknowledge Wales comes from a different starting point than other UK nations, and applaud their vision for not only higher recycling rates but the phasing in of reuse at the end of the four-year transition period from 2031,” Cooke commented.
Cooke continued that CIWM believes a UK DRS should have been deferred until Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Simpler Recycling have ‘bedded-in’, and the viability of digital DRS options are better understood.
Join Resource Cymru 2026 to hear leading experts break down the UK’s upcoming deposit return schemes. Secure your place today.
