Exchange For Change has announced the creation of a new UK recycling infrastructure that will support the delivery of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) from October 2027.
Five waste management and recycling providers have been appointed to provide logistics and processing activities across the UK. This means they will be responsible for collecting the returned bottles and cans from return points and processing them so that the material can be recycled into new drink containers – helping to reduce the 6.5 billion that end up in waste annually.
The scheme has reaped promising results in Europe where it already lies in place, with the average return rate at 90% in countries with a DRS.
Russell Davies, Exchange for Change Chief Executive, said: “This is not only about preventing waste from polluting our towns, countryside, rivers and beaches, but also about investing for the long-term in new environmental infrastructure, jobs and opportunities across the UK,”
“Together the five waste management companies will create a resilient and scalable collections network that will ensure efficient collection and processing of DRS materials.”
As part of further expansion, companies involved will create three new purpose-built processing facilities in Cambridgeshire, Merseyside and Avonmouth, aimed to be operational from October 2030. This will be serviced by around 400 new recycling vehicles, which have been promised to facilitate the collection of DRS materials.
