Deposit Return Scheme: How to Get Your 20p Back on Used Cans and Bottles

A fairly major change is coming to the way we buy bottles and cans in England. From the 1st of October 2027, the Deposit Return Scheme will add a refundable 20p deposit to eligible single-use drinks containers, which you will reclaim by returning the empty bottle or can rather than simply putting it into your recycling bin.

That 20p doesn't sound particularly significant until you start looking at multipacks. A 12-pack of cans would carry £2.40 in deposits, while 24 eligible cans would mean another £4.80 paid at the till, although all of that money can be reclaimed if the containers are returned. If you put them into your household recycling instead, the recycling still happens but the Deposit Return Scheme won't refund your money that way.

The idea isn't completely new to British supermarket shoppers either. Lidl's Glasgow bottle return trial put reverse vending machines into 21 stores and rewarded shoppers for bringing empty containers back, giving us a useful example of the habit the new national scheme is trying to create.

Lidl's trial worked differently from the statutory scheme, though, so you won't simply be getting free money for bottles once the national system begins.

How will England's bottle return scheme work?

England's bottle return scheme will add a 20p deposit when you buy an eligible drink, then refund that 20p when the empty container is returned to an approved return point. The scheme will be operated by Exchange for Change, the not-for-profit organisation appointed to run the system across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The important word here is deposit. You aren't being given 20p for recycling something you bought at its normal price; you pay the extra 20p first and are then getting your own money back when the container is returned.

That distinction matters when budgeting for a shop. If you buy one drink, the temporary extra cost is small, but households buying cases of water, soft drinks, beer or other multipacks could have several pounds tied up in containers at any one time.

How much could the 20p deposit add to a multipack?

The Deposit Return Scheme will use a flat 20p deposit for every eligible container, rather than charging less for a small can and more for a large bottle. Exchange for Change confirmed the amount after considering deposits ranging from 10p to 30p, with the scheme aiming for a 90% return rate within three years.

That means the amount added at the checkout depends on how many individual containers you buy, not simply how much drink is inside the pack. A family or household that regularly buys multipacks could therefore have noticeably more money leaving its account at the point of purchase.

What you buy	Deposit paid	Amount returned if all are taken back
1 eligible bottle or can	20p	20p
6-pack	£1.20	£1.20
10-pack	£2	£2
12-pack	£2.40	£2.40
18-pack	£3.60	£3.60
24-pack	£4.80	£4.80

None of those figures represents an unavoidable price rise if you return every eligible container. The money does become part of the real cost of the drink if you forget, lose the container or put it into your household recycling instead.

I think that is the part of the Deposit Return Scheme worth getting used to in advance. Once it begins, an empty drinks can isn't just recycling waiting to go into the bin, it effectively has 20p of your money attached to it until you return it.

What is Lidl’s Glasgow bottle return scheme?

Lidl’s Glasgow bottle return scheme gives shoppers a small financial reward for returning eligible plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans for recycling. Instead of putting the container straight into your household recycling, you feed it into a reverse vending machine at a participating Lidl store, where the machine scans the barcode and accepts or rejects the container. For every eligible container accepted, you receive a 5p reward that can be put towards your Lidl shopping or donated to the STV Children’s Appeal.

The important part is that Lidl doesn’t add an extra 5p to the price of the drink when you buy it. This means the 5p you receive is a genuine recycling reward, rather than getting back a deposit you have already paid. That makes it quite different financially from the national Deposit Return Scheme due to launch across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Lidl originally introduced the scheme across 21 stores in and around Glasgow after Scotland’s planned Deposit Return Scheme was delayed. The supermarket had already installed reverse vending machines in preparation for that scheme, so it decided to use the equipment for its own trial instead.

Lidl originally intended the trial to run for around six months, but customers are still using some of the machines well beyond that initial period.

What bottles and cans can you return to Lidl?

Under Lidl’s original rules, the machines accept single-use PET plastic drinks bottles and aluminium drinks cans between 100ml and 3 litres. The container needs to be empty, clean and uncrushed, and its barcode must still be readable so that the reverse vending machine can identify it. Glass bottles, paper-based cartons, pouches and HDPE dairy containers such as milk and yoghurt-drink bottles aren’t included.

When the scheme launched, Lidl also said qualifying bottles and cans didn’t have to have been bought from Lidl. Containers purchased from other retailers could be returned as long as they met the scheme requirements, which made the machines much more useful than a Lidl-only recycling reward.

More recent customer reports suggest individual machines can sometimes be fussy about particular barcodes or containers, so I wouldn’t assume that every bottle or can will necessarily be accepted.

There was also no stated limit on the number of eligible containers you could return under Lidl’s original rules. That means the reward can build up if you have a lot of cans or bottles, although whether a particular machine is available and accepting everything you bring is another matter.

If you’re planning a special journey with bags of containers, I’d check with the store first rather than assuming the machine will be working.

Is Lidl’s Glasgow bottle return scheme still running?

Yes, at least some of Lidl’s Glasgow reverse vending machines are still being used by customers. Recent reports include customers using the machine at Lidl’s Yoker store, while other Glasgow shoppers have also reported machines at branches including Duke Street, Anniesland and Robroyston. Lidl hasn’t published a fresh list confirming that every one of the original 21 participating locations is still operating exactly as it did when the trial launched.

That means I wouldn’t rely on an old list of participating stores before making a special journey. Stores and facilities can change, while individual machines may occasionally be unavailable or reject particular containers. Your best option is to check with your local Glasgow-area Lidl before travelling specifically to return a large quantity of bottles or cans.

There are also signs that the rules being applied by individual machines may not always be as consistent as they were at launch. Recent users have reported rejected barcodes and occasional problems with containers that they expected the machine to accept, although others have continued successfully returning drinks Lidl doesn’t sell.

These are customer reports rather than updated official Lidl rules, so I’d treat the original eligibility criteria as a guide rather than a guarantee that every qualifying-looking container will go through.

How much can you earn from Lidl’s bottle return scheme?

The reward is 5p for every eligible bottle or can accepted by the reverse vending machine. Return 20 containers and that would give you £1 towards your shopping, while 100 accepted containers would be worth £5. Because you haven’t paid a 5p deposit when buying those drinks, this is money you are genuinely gaining for recycling them.

Lidl’s own sustainability reporting shows how those small rewards can add up. It says more than 11 million containers have been returned through the Glasgow scheme, with shoppers receiving more than £540,000 towards their shopping and more than £7,000 being donated to the STV Children’s Appeal. Those figures come from Lidl itself, but they show that the machines have been used on a substantial scale.

It isn’t going to become a major source of income for most households because you would need 100 accepted containers just to earn £5. The benefit is more straightforward if you already have cans and bottles that need recycling, because returning them through Lidl can give you something back for waste you would otherwise put into your recycling bin. If you collect containers from family members as well, the rewards could build up a little faster.

How is Lidl’s scheme different from the new Deposit Return Scheme?

Lidl’s Glasgow scheme and the new national Deposit Return Scheme both involve returning drinks containers, but the money works very differently. Lidl gives you a 5p reward without charging you an additional 5p when you buy the drink, while the national scheme will add a 20p deposit to eligible drinks before refunding that money when the container is returned. One scheme rewards you for recycling, while the other gives you back money you have already paid.

	Lidl Glasgow scheme	National Deposit Return Scheme
Money received per eligible container	5p	20p
Deposit charged when buying the drink?	No	Yes
What you receive when you return it	5p recycling reward	Your 20p deposit back
Main materials	PET plastic and aluminium	PET plastic, aluminium and steel
Size range	100ml to 3L	150ml to 3L
Geographic reach	Participating Glasgow-area Lidl stores	England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Return method	Lidl reverse vending machines	Reverse vending machines or manual return points
Containers bought elsewhere	Originally accepted if eligible, although machine acceptance can vary	Eligible scheme containers can be returned through the return-point network

Lidl’s scheme therefore gives us a useful preview of the physical side of a Deposit Return Scheme. Shoppers already have experience of feeding cans and bottles into a machine, having the barcode checked and receiving something of monetary value in return. The big difference is that Lidl’s 5p has been an additional reward, while the national 20p will be a refundable deposit.

Under the national scheme, returning your own eligible bottle won’t leave you 20p better off because you will already have paid that extra 20p when you bought the drink. If you fail to return the container through the scheme, you effectively lose the deposit and can’t recover it simply by putting the bottle or can into your household recycling. That makes remembering to return eligible containers an important part of getting the full value of what you have paid.

There could still be a small financial incentive to pick up eligible bottles and cans that other people have discarded once the national scheme starts. If somebody throws away a container carrying an unclaimed 20p deposit, another person returning that valid container could potentially receive the money attached to it. That could give littered drinks containers a small monetary value as well as providing another reason to keep them out of general waste.

Which bottles and cans will have the 20p deposit?

The England scheme covers single-use drinks containers made wholly or mainly from PET plastic, aluminium or steel, with a capacity between 150ml and 3L. Eligible containers will use a registered DRS barcode and the official Deposit Return Scheme logo so the return system can recognise them.

That should include a large proportion of the plastic drinks bottles and metal drinks cans found in a normal supermarket. It isn't based on whether the drink is fizzy, alcoholic or a particular brand; the container material, size and other scheme requirements determine whether it qualifies.

The logo will become particularly important when the scheme starts because not every recyclable drinks container carries a deposit. A normal recycling symbol by itself won't mean there is 20p to claim.

Which containers won't be included?

Glass isn't included in the Deposit Return Scheme in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. HDPE plastic is also excluded, which means the familiar plastic containers commonly used for fresh milk won't attract the 20p deposit.

The England rules also exclude containers used for liquid medicines and products such as drink flavouring syrups or sweeteners. Reusable containers sit outside the single-use scheme too.

You should keep recycling excluded materials in the usual way where your local collection accepts them. The Deposit Return Scheme is being added alongside existing recycling services rather than replacing household recycling altogether.

Will glass bottles ever have a deposit?

Glass isn't part of the scheme being introduced in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Wales is taking a different approach and plans to include glass within its own Deposit Return Scheme, although the current Welsh arrangements mean the deposit on single-use glass is not due to be introduced until October 2031.

The plastic and metal parts of the Welsh scheme are intended to work alongside the arrangements elsewhere in the UK, including a common deposit level and systems that allow compatible containers to move between schemes. That should reduce some of the practical problems that would arise if each nation used completely different rules.

For somebody shopping in England, the simpler rule at launch is that the 20p deposit applies to qualifying plastic and metal drinks containers, not glass.

Where will you return your bottles and cans?

Supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents selling drinks covered by the scheme will form the main network of return points. They can accept containers manually or use a reverse vending machine similar to the machines Lidl tested in Glasgow.

With a reverse vending machine, you insert the container and the machine scans it to check that it qualifies. Exchange for Change says automated machines will issue redeemable deposit vouchers, while manual return points involve staff checking and accepting the containers.

Not every small shop will have to operate one. Stores with less than 100m² of retail space in an urban area are automatically exempt, while some other retailers can apply for an exemption based on factors such as their location, layout or proximity to another return point.

How will you actually get the 20p back?

The regulations allow return points to repay deposits through methods including a voucher, payment card or cash. Exactly what you are offered may depend on the type of return point you use, and further consumer guidance will be issued as the launch gets closer.

Reverse vending machines are expected to be a common sight at larger supermarkets because they can scan, validate and compact containers automatically. Manual return points will allow staff to accept containers where installing a machine isn't suitable.

That means keeping a container doesn't lock you into returning it to the supermarket where you bought the drink. Exchange for Change says consumers buying online, for example, will be able to redeem their deposits at a return point of their choice.

What happens if you buy your drinks online?

Eligible drinks bought through online grocery services will still carry the 20p deposit. Buying a case of 24 eligible drinks online would therefore add the same £4.80 in refundable deposits as buying it in a supermarket.

Online retailers aren't automatically required to operate a takeback service when they deliver your shopping. You will instead be able to return containers through the wider return-point network, although businesses can register to provide collection services for online customers.

That is worth considering if you rely heavily on grocery delivery and have limited mobility or transport. The scheme is still more than a year from launch, so the practical return options available locally should become clearer before deposits start being charged.

Can you start saving empty bottles and cans now?

No. Saving your bottles and cans now won't give you a pile of 20p refunds when the Deposit Return Scheme begins because today's containers have not had the deposit charged in the first place.

The Government has confirmed that only qualifying containers placed on the market after the 1st of October 2027 will carry the deposit. Older bottles and cans can continue to be recycled through your usual household or local recycling system.

New scheme containers will also carry the required logo and registered barcode, which allows the system to recognise that the deposit was paid. Exchange for Change says products without the appropriate registered barcode won't be accepted through the return system.

What happens if you put a 20p container in your recycling bin?

You can still recycle an eligible container through your household collection, but you won't receive the 20p deposit back that way. The deposit has to be redeemed through the Deposit Return Scheme's return network.

For anyone who already diligently recycles cans and plastic bottles at home, that will mean changing an established habit. Once the system begins, putting 10 eligible containers into your kerbside bin instead of taking them back means giving up £2 in deposits.

That is probably the biggest practical money-saving point in the whole scheme. Your recycling bin will still do its environmental job, but it won't do the job of returning your money.

Is the 20p deposit a tax or a permanent price rise?

The 20p is refundable, so somebody who returns every eligible container can recover the full amount paid. The House of Commons Library's latest Deposit Return Scheme briefing describes the system as a deposit added to the price and reclaimed when the empty container is returned.

There is still an upfront cash-flow effect, especially on multipacks. If £10 or £20 worth of deposits is sitting in bags of empty cans and bottles at home, that money isn't available to spend until those containers are returned.

I would therefore treat the deposit as part of the shopping budget even though it is refundable. Keep track of the containers in the same way you would keep track of a refundable car-hire or hotel deposit, because it remains your money only if you actually complete the return.

Can you earn money from recycling before the new scheme starts?

There are already apps that offer rewards for recycling, although they don't work in the same way as the coming 20p statutory deposit. The Bower recycling app[£], for example, lets users scan packaging, record recycling and earn rewards or take part in challenges.

I've previously covered how it works in my guide to getting rewarded for recycling with Bower. Its rewards and conditions can change, so check the current app before deciding whether the amount on offer is worth the extra effort.

Once the national Deposit Return Scheme begins, the important difference will be that the 20p attached to an eligible bottle or can is money you have already paid. Returning it isn't a bonus in the same sense as an app reward, it is the step required to get your deposit back.

What should you do when the Deposit Return Scheme starts?

Look for the official Deposit Return Scheme logo when you buy bottled or canned drinks, because that will tell you whether a container carries the refundable deposit. Rather than automatically putting those empties into your household recycling, keep them somewhere convenient until you can take them to an approved return point.

It may also be worth changing how you think about discarded bottles and cans. A bag containing 20 eligible containers represents £4 in deposits, so losing it, throwing it away or forgetting to return it has a measurable cost.

When the scheme goes live, the simplest habit will be to treat every qualifying empty container as holding 20p of your money. Return it and that money comes back to you; put it into another waste or recycling stream and the deposit is gone.

Frequently asked questions

When does the deposit return scheme start in England?

The deposit return scheme is due to start in England on the 1st of October 2027. Scotland and Northern Ireland are working to the same launch date, while Wales is introducing its own scheme.

How much will the bottle and can deposit be?

The deposit will be a flat 20p for each eligible container, regardless of its size within the scheme limits. You get that 20p back when you return the empty container through an approved return point.

Which bottles and cans are included in the deposit return scheme?

The England scheme covers single-use PET plastic, aluminium and steel drinks containers from 150ml to 3L. Eligible products will carry the Deposit Return Scheme logo and a registered barcode.

Are glass bottles included in England's deposit return scheme?

No. Glass bottles are not included in the Deposit Return Scheme in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Wales has separate plans for glass within its scheme.

Where will I return bottles and cans to get my 20p back?

Supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores and newsagents will form the main return-point network, although some smaller shops can be exempt. Returns may be handled by staff or through reverse vending machines.

Can I save bottles and cans now and return them when the scheme starts?

No. Containers sold before the scheme starts will not have had a deposit charged and will not carry the required Deposit Return Scheme identification. Keep recycling those through your normal recycling system.

What happens if I put a deposit bottle or can in my household recycling?

The container can still be recycled, but your 20p deposit will not be refunded through your household recycling collection. To reclaim the money, you will need to use an eligible Deposit Return Scheme return point.

Will online grocery orders also have the 20p deposit?

Yes. Eligible drinks bought online will still carry the 20p deposit. Online retailers do not automatically have to collect the empty containers, but you will be able to take them to an eligible return point.