The Deposit Return Scheme is coming to the UK in 2027. We wanted to know how aware and prepared businesses are about it, so we asked our customers directly.

We surveyed a wide variety of retail, foodservice and hospitality businesses to gauge their readiness. Some fantastic household names took part in the survey. We heard from brands like Pret a Manger, Itsu, ATG Entertainment, Hilton, McDonald's and Innocent.

This article examines the survey results, detailing how prepared UK businesses are for the roll out of the Deposit Return Scheme.

What respondents told us about their DRS plans

Manual vs Reverse Vending Machine Collection

86% of smaller retailers and hospitality venues would prefer manual collections rather than purchasing a reverse vending machine.

To recap on the rules, only grocery retailers are required by law to act as a return point (exemptions apply). Hospitality and foodservice are under no obligation to act as return points. The options available for those who operate as return points are:

  • Manually, where a member of staff accepts the container over the counter and refunds the deposit. Containers need to be checked, bagged and tagged ready for collection.

  • Automatically, using a reverse vending machine that the customer operates themselves. The machine takes care of the customer deposit.

  • Separate container collection, where your waste or recycling provider collects your empty containers directly from site and reclaims the deposit on your behalf. This approach is ideal for hospitality where drinks are consumed on site and you do not charge customers the deposit, but need to reclaim the deposit paid to wholesale.

By acting as a return point, you also benefit from a handling fee which is designed to cover machine, maintenance and staff costs. The handling fees are detailed in our Retailer Deposit Return Scheme guide.

DEPOSIT AWARENESS

Most smaller retailers weren't aware of the 20p charge that would apply to their wholesale purchases, and haven't considered the business impact.

PREPARED VS UNPREPARED

50% of retailers felt unprepared for DRS, mostly because they lacked the floor space for an RVM and didn't yet know how manual returns would affect their operation.

SECTOR PREPAREDNESS

Supermarkets and convenience stores ranked most prepared for the Deposit Return Scheme, followed by Restaurants & Cafés, Licensed Venues, Fast Food Outlets, and then Hotels and B&Bs.

Practicalities a concern for survey respondents

Respondents are concerned about an array of practicalities around the scheme ranging from lack of space to bags and bin logistics. The word cloud below highlights some of the comments our respondents told us:

Survey sentiment word cloud. Larger words indicate a greater consensus of feeling.

If you are struggling to make sense of the government mandate, we can help clear things up. You can read our full legislative breakdown in our Retailer Deposit Return Scheme guide.

Businesses are starting to prepare

One third of all survey respondents requested a follow up with one of our DRS consultants to understand the legislation and their options in more detail as they advance their preparations for the scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme will bring big changes to many UK businesses. If you need guidance or advice on what is right for your business, get in touch with First Mile to speak with a consultant.