Minister Muir confirms commitment to Deposit Return Scheme in Northern Ireland

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has confirmed that his plans to take forward the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) are still in place, despite the announcement of a delay to their proposals by the Welsh Government.

The Deposit Return Scheme is a money-back scheme for single-use drinks containers which will incentivise people to recycle their drinks bottles and cans to redeem their deposits.

Minister Muir said: “Whilst it is disappointing that the Welsh scheme is delayed, I remain fully committed to DRS being implemented as soon as possible, so that the people of Northern Ireland will benefit from increased, high-quality recycling with reduced littering.”

The DRS has a 90% return target for drinks containers and will drastically reduce littering. The scheme in Northern Ireland will include single-use drinks containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium from 150ml to 3 litres, which is the same as the successful scheme launched in the Republic of Ireland earlier this year.

Minister Muir added: “My Department will continue to work closely with Scotland and England, to ensure our schemes go-live together in October 2027 as planned. DRS went live in Ireland in February of this year and I am keen that the scheme in Northern Ireland is introduced on a similar basis and without further delay.”

In addition to the Deposit Return Scheme, DAERA is also introducing an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for packaging, which will mean packaging producers and manufacturers will cover the costs of recycling and disposing of their packaging. This will drive higher collection and recycling rates of packaging and covers any drinks containers not included in the DRS such as glass, cartons, or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, which is used for most fresh milk packaging.

Notes to editors:

1. Details on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) can be found at: Deposit Return Scheme | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
2. The materials captured in the deposit return scheme in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England will be single-use drinks containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium.
3. Glass bottles will not be captured but glass will be covered by the Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging scheme, which will place targets on producers for glass recycling. 
4. Regulations to bring in DRS for England and Northern Ireland are due to be laid in Westminster this year.
5. Regulations to bring in UK wide Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging have recently been laid in Westminster.
6. The UK Government for England, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland have consulted jointly on DRS in 2019 and 2021. Both consultations have shown overwhelming support for the introduction of the scheme.