DRS Deposit Return Scheme
Check your store

Retailer obligations

What you have to do, in order of importance

The scheme has two separate obligations, and retailers routinely conflate them. Charging the deposit is unavoidable. Hosting a return point usually is not.

Obligation 1 — applies to everyone

Charge the deposit

If you sell a single in-scope container, you must add 20p at the point of sale. This applies to every retailer in the UK, whether or not you ever host a return point.

  • 20p on every PET, aluminium and steel container between 150ml and 3 litres
  • Applied in store, online and on delivery
  • No deposit on glass in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
  • Not negotiable, and not conditional on your size
Obligation 2 — most retailers

Host a return point

Groceries retailers are the primary return points for the scheme. You host a return point unless you are exempt — and there are more exemptions than most people realise.

  • Register with the scheme administrator unless automatically exempt
  • Run a reverse vending machine or a manual takeback point
  • Or apply for an exemption on size, proximity, heritage, access or utilities grounds
  • Pay the 20p back to customers who return containers to you
A groceries retailer, specifically

The obligation lands on retailers defined as a supermarket of any size, a grocery store, a convenience store or a newsagent, where the business sells groceries. Non-grocery retailers selling in-scope drinks still charge the deposit but are not the primary return points.

By channel

What applies where you sell

The rules change depending on whether the drink is consumed on your premises, off your premises, or somewhere you have no control over.

Always

Storefront

Charge the deposit, and refund returns if you operate a return point. This is the core obligation and it applies to every retailer, regardless of size.

Deposit only

Online & delivery

Deposits must be charged on all in-scope products. Online retailers are not obligated to operate a return point — consumers return to a return point of their choice.

Depends

Hospitality & on-trade

Off-site sales such as takeaway must carry the deposit. On-premise treatment varies by nation and is partly optional. Return points are not required.

Selling on-trade hospitality? The rules differ by nation and are partly optional. Read the hospitality guidance.

The full checklist

Everything a retailer needs to do

Work through this in order. Most retailers should be starting items one to four now, well ahead of launch.

Charge the deposit

  • Add 20p to the shelf price of every in-scope container sold in your store, in every channel
  • Update your till system and price files so the deposit is applied at the point of sale
  • Do not apply the deposit to out-of-scope containers — glass in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, cartons, and refillable containers
  • Update shelf-edge labels and online listings so the deposit is visible to shoppers

Register with the scheme administrator

  • Groceries retailers — supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents — must register unless automatically exempt
  • Have your company details, store addresses, sales area figures and trading hours ready
  • You will need to declare whether you intend to operate an automatic or manual return point
  • Registrations are per site, so multi-site operators register each location

Decide your return point route

  • Operate a reverse vending machine, a manual takeback point, or apply for an exemption
  • Weigh throughput, floor space, staffing and equipment cost against the handling fee you will earn
  • Check whether your floor area and location make you eligible for an automatic or applied-for exemption
  • If you are a qualifying small independent, apply for the £6,000 RVM grant — it changes the economics

Refund deposits at the point of return

  • Pay the 20p back to customers who return in-scope containers at your return point
  • Ensure customers can redeem their deposit through a voucher at the checkout
  • Validate containers against the DRS-compliant barcode before accepting them — unregistered products are not accepted
  • Bag, tag and store accepted containers ready for scheduled collection

Tell customers how it works

  • Display clear information so customers understand the deposit, the return process and where returns are accepted
  • Promote your return point to passing trade — footfall from returns is a genuine commercial opportunity
  • Brief every member of staff who will handle returns before launch day
  • Keep your in-store and online materials consistent with official scheme communications
Do not sell early-marked containers

In-scope containers carrying the new DRS-specific barcode and scheme logo must not be sold to consumers before 1 October 2027. Their presence signals that a deposit and producer fee have been applied when they have not, and risks non-compliant product entering the market.

Model your store before you commit

The handling fee is published, so you can estimate the return from any store. Do it before you sign an RVM lease.

Open the calculator See the fee rates