The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced last week that the UK's deposit return system (DRS) for beverage bottles and cans will not go live until October 2027. In a policy statement issued jointly with Defra's counterparts in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Defra confirmed remarks made by Environment Secretary Steve Barclay at a meeting of Parliament's environment committee at the end of March, in which he indicated that the October 2025 deadline was no longer realistic.
Under the new implementation timeline, the set-up of the deposit management organisation is to start in spring 2025 and run until spring 2026....
