What is a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)?

What is a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS)?

Overview of Deposit Return Scheme

DRS stands for Deposit Return Scheme or System. It is a recycling strategy that works by placing a monetary value on beverage containers, which consumers pay as a deposit when purchasing a product, typically beverages. Consumers can return their deposit to designated collection points, such as reverse vending machines or retail locations, to reclaim it once the container is empty. This financial incentive encourages the return of containers for recycling, which reduces litter or pollution and promotes the reuse of materials.

The system is designed to ensure that containers are properly recycled, significantly reducing the need for new raw materials, conserving energy, and minimizing environmental pollution.

What are the Benefits of DRS?

Deposit Return Systems (DRS) offer several key environmental benefits by encouraging recycling and reducing waste. By providing a monetary refund for returning containers, DRS significantly increases recycling rates. Countries with DRS implemented average recycling rates of 90%.

This positively impacts the environment, meaning fewer plastic bottles and cans end up in landfills or as litter, which keeps our communities cleaner and protects natural habitats from pollution. One of the most significant advantages of DRS is its role in reducing plastic pollution, especially in oceans. By keeping plastic bottles out of the environment, DRS helps protect marine life. Without action to change how we reuse plastic, it is predicted that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans.

DRS also helps conserve natural resources because recycling materials like aluminium, glass, and plastic reduces the need for new raw materials. This saves resources and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, as recycling uses less energy than producing new materials.

Additionally, DRS encourages the design of more durable and recyclable containers, reducing environmental impact. By supporting a system where materials are reused and recycled, DRS helps move us toward a more sustainable and circular economy.

Which Products Are Covered by Deposit Return Schemes?

Deposit Return Systems (DRS) typically target drink containers made of PET, steel, aluminium cans, and sometimes glass. Container sizes range from 150ml to 3 litres, accommodating various beverages like water, soda, and beer. Each container must meet specific eligibility criteria to qualify for the program. These criteria can vary significantly by country, reflecting local regulations and DRS implementation methods. Sometimes eligible containers display a logo or barcode to indicate participation in the scheme, ensuring easy identification for consumers. This system encourages recycling and helps reduce waste in landfills and the environment.

Environmental Policies and Deposit Return Scheme

Environmental policies supporting Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) are essential for improving recycling rates and reducing waste. Governments and regulatory bodies implement these schemes to achieve recycling targets, conserve natural resources, and mitigate environmental impact. Integrating DRS with other waste management strategies, such as promoting plastics in a circular economy, offers the potential for more comprehensive and effective environmental solutions.

For example, the EU’s 2019 Single-Use Plastics Directive mandates a 90% collection rate for plastic bottles by 2029, primarily through DRS, highlighting the increasing importance of these systems. This directive aims to significantly reduce plastic waste and improve recycling rates across member states. By setting clear targets, the policy drives the implementation of more efficient DRS and encourages investments in advanced technologies and infrastructure to handle collected materials effectively.

These legislative efforts are a critical part of the EU’s broader strategy to transition towards a circular economy, where materials are continuously reused and recycled, thereby supporting sustainability goals and reducing environmental impact.

Conclusion

Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) effectively boost recycling rates and reduce environmental impact. By offering consumers a monetary refund for returning containers, DRS increases recycling, cuts litter, and fights plastic pollution. This approach conserves natural resources and lowers greenhouse gas emissions, helping transition toward a more sustainable, circular economy.

When implemented effectively, DRS drives significant environmental improvements. It also helps meet ambitious recycling targets set by the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive. DRS actively supports environmental sustainability and leads the way in responsible resource management.

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Les Griffith - Speakers

Business Development Director
RLGA

Les Griffith is currently the Business Development Director at RLGA and is tasked with expanding the company’s data management offerings for packaging EPR in the Americas. Les has over 30 years of industry experience in Environmental Services, Extended Producer Responsibility and Reverse Distribution. Les has spent these last 30 years working with organizations to develop progressively more sustainable solutions to the management of end-of-life materials. Prior to joining RLG, Les spent eleven years at Covanta most recently serving as the Business Development Director for the Healthcare Solutions division. His group covered North and Central America and specialized in providing a suite of services to healthcare PROs, take-back services to retail pharmacy and law enforcement and environmental services to the healthcare sector and reverse distributors. Prior to Covanta Les spent 10 years at Waste Management Inc. as an Area Manager for their Healthcare Solutions group.

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Andriana Kontovrakis - Speakers

Director of Compliance Services
RLG

Andriana Kontovrakis is the Director of Compliance Services for Reverse Logistics Group’s US team.  She manages a team responsible for ensuring manufacturer and retailer customer compliance with EPR laws for electronics, batteries, packaging, household hazardous wastes, and other consumer products across the US. Along with RLG partner the Household and Commercial Products Association, she is spearheading the development of the Household Product Stewardship Alliance, a stewardship organization forming under the guidelines of Vermont’s HHW EPR law.  Prior to working with RLG, she was a Policy Analyst with the global electronics recycler Sims Lifecycle Solutions where she managed programmatic implementation and customer and supplier accounts for the US EPR compliance unit and the Deputy Director for Waste Prevention for the NYC Department of Sanitation.

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