Wales confirms glass part of deposit return scheme

The government said in a statement that it is pushing ahead with plans to introduce its own DRS and is “willing to accelerate [its] implementation timetable to align with the rest of the UK”.

This follows the Welsh government’s announcement in November 2024 that it would not proceed with a UK-wide DRS process over concerns that single-use glass containers were not part of the schemes proposed by the other three nations.

The Welsh government said then that it wanted to include glass in its DRS, which would have required an exclusion under the UK Internal Market Act (UKIMA). Following a consultation on a proposed DRS in Wales, the government confirmed that glass would remain “a core part” of its scheme and improving glass recycling was “central” to its commitment to its local communities and environment.

Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy first minister and cabinet secretary for climate change and rural affairs, said the government had listened to industry stakeholders and recognised the need for “a phased approach” to help businesses adjust to the new scheme’s rules.

Commenting on the development, regulatory law expert Zoe Betts of Pinsent Masons said: “Whilst the introduction of a UK-wide scheme will be welcomed by stakeholders, the differences in scope will remain of concern to businesses operating across borders, who will still have to grapple with different rules. The Welsh government attempts to address this by stating there must be a phased approach to implementation to avoid ‘impacts on current production and distribution arrangements’.”

Parallel schemes, which exclude glass, are expected to come into effect in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland in October 2027. Although the Welsh government has indicated it intends to introduce its own DRS in a similar timeframe, the exact timing for introducing the scheme in Wales has not yet been confirmed.

Betts said further clarity is still needed to help industry navigate the complexities of the new scheme in Wales and the other three nations. “Much will depend on the transition period anticipated, and on the approach of the rest of the UK to the later inclusion of glass,” she said. “Without that, industry will still have to deal with the practical difficulties of different rules, just further down the road.”