The Association of Convenience Stores has launched new guidance for retailers ahead of the introduction of the deposit return scheme in October 2027.

In less than 18 months, all retailers who sell soft drinks in single use plastic and metal containers will be obligated to charge a deposit on each container at the point of purchase. These deposits will then be refunded when customers bring their containers back to a return point, thousands of which will be hosted in convenience stores. In Wales, glass will be included in the scheme but there will be no deposit charged on glass containers until 2031.

ACS’ new Deposit Return Scheme guide outlines the areas that retailers need to consider when making a decision about how they’ll interact with the scheme. There are three main options – hosting a manually operated return point which is managed by colleagues in store; hosting an automated reverse vending machine; and seeking an exemption from being a return point.

The guide also sets out some of the things that retailers should consider about their local area and the likely return rates that they can expect, to help make that decision on interacting with the scheme.

The guide will be regularly updated ahead of the introduction of the scheme as more details are made available by Exchange for Change. To sign up to a mailing list for updates on DRS, email [email protected] with your details.

The full Deposit Return Scheme guide is available here: https://www.acs.org.uk/advice/deposit-return-scheme-guide-retailers