ISB predicts recycling gains from UK DRS adoption

ISB Global, an England-based provider of planning software to the waste and recycling sectors, says the decision by the U.K.’s newly elected government to revive and bring forward plans for a nationwide deposit-return system (DRS) will lift the country’s waste management sector and also speed the move to a low-waste circular economy.

The software firm says in an early-August statement, U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Minister Mary Creagh confirmed the new Labour government plans to roll out a U.K.-wide DRS for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and steel and aluminum beverage cans ahead of an October 2027 date proposed in March by the previous Conservative government.

Plans for a deposit scheme like those already found in much of Europe originally were announced originally in 2018 and then incorporated into the 2021 Environment Act.

Comments ISB, “But the scheme has been delayed several times, most recently in April of this year due to complexities in harmonizing the policy between the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales with England," ISB says.

“A DRS is long overdue here in the U.K. Deposit-based recycling schemes have been operating effectively in other European countries and elsewhere for more than 20 years, and their benefits are clear," says Matt Gawn, a market intelligence officer at ISB. "In some cases, these schemes have achieved recycling rates of 90 percent or more.

“By adding a financial value to recyclable items, a deposit scheme encourages people to change their behavior and hopefully be more responsible when disposing of their used plastic and metal containers. Put simply, if they don’t recycle, they’re out of pocket.”

Gawn says the planned DRS provides the U.K. waste management and recycling sector with much needed focus and clarity for its future direction.

“The government’s confirmation means companies involved in the value chain—manufacturers, retailers and waste management operators—can now properly commit to planning and investing in the physical infrastructure and IT systems needed to support a deposit scheme, from in-store collection points to payouts for consumers,” he says.

Waste and recycling companies may need to put in place or expand existing underlying technologies and processes that, according to IBS, efficiently and automatically plan for, record, track and redistribute the materials collected via the scheme for their eventual recycling for secondary use.

“The U.K. deposit scheme is a groundbreaking first step in a wider journey for the U.K. to achieve a low-waste way of life and a more circular economy,” Gawn says. “That’s because it requires food and drink manufacturers, retailers and waste management and recycling operators to work together to put in place the facilities, processes and systems needed for the scheme to be successful.

“Looking ahead, companies and government agencies can apply the lessons and practices they learn from this experience to collect, recycle and distribute other material resources for reuse here in the U.K., such as textiles, wood and metals—including precious and heavy metals retrieved from e-waste.

“A deposit scheme isn’t enough by itself to solve the U.K.’s waste problem, but it’s a positive statement of intent that shows the government wants to reduce the volume of waste the country sends to landfill and conserve the environment. Hopefully, this decision leads to other parts of the 2021 Environment Act being enacted - such as Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) for brands and manufacturers, an end to U.K. waste exports overseas and meaningful action to cut plastic pollution as well.”

Founded in 1999, ISB Global, which has offices in the U.K., Pakistan and South Africa, designs and delivers software that allows environmental, waste management and recycling businesses to automatically track, measure, report and analyze the materials they handle.