Deposit return scheme FAQ for shop owners

On 1 October 2027, in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. From that day shops charge the deposit and take empties back. In August 2026 the brewers' body SIBA asked for a delay of at least a year, but Exchange for Change is still working to 1 October 2027.

Sources: E4C transition update, SIBA, All key dates

20p on every in-scope container, whatever its size. Multipacks carry 20p per container, so a pack of six cans carries £1.20 in deposits. The customer gets the 20p back when they return the empty.

Sources: E4C, 20p deposit, E4C FAQ

Single-use drinks containers made wholly or mainly of PET plastic, aluminium or steel, from 150 ml to 3 litres. Glass isn't included in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. In Wales, single-use glass is included, but carries no deposit or label before October 2031.

Sources: E4C criteria, section 1.1, E4C FAQ

Exchange for Change, the scheme's deposit management organisation. It runs the scheme in all four UK nations (it was appointed for Wales in August 2026), and decides registrations, exemptions and grants. Each nation keeps its own regulations.

Sources: E4C newsletter, Aug 2026, E4C FAQ

Yes, unless your shop is urban and has under 100 sq m of sales floor, which makes it exempt automatically. Shops planning to apply for an exemption must still register. Phase 1 opened on 29 September 2026 and Phase 2 opens in January 2027; you need to complete both.

Sources: E4C, registration opens, How to register

Urban shops under 100 sq m are exempt automatically. Urban shops of 100-199 sq m and rural shops under 200 sq m can apply for an exemption on size. Other shops can apply on proximity to another return point, or on premises grounds in exceptional cases. Exchange for Change decides each application.

Sources: E4C exemption criteria, Use the checker

Each nation uses its official classification: the ONS 2011 rural-urban classification in England, NISRA's 2015 classification in Northern Ireland, and classes 1 and 2 of the Scottish Government's 2020 classification in Scotland. Welsh rules aren't published yet. Exchange for Change has a postcode lookup, and our checker reads the same official data (for Welsh postcodes it uses the ONS data as a guide).

Sources: E4C criteria, section 2.2, E4C postcode lookup

Count the customer-facing indoor area used to sell or display products. Leave out storerooms, offices and other back-of-house space. On a forecourt, count only the grocery sales and display area. Keep a note of how you measured.

Sources: E4C criteria, section 2.1, E4C FAQ

The application route isn't published yet. Exchange for Change first said the third quarter of 2026, then "in the coming months" when registration opened. In the meantime, register (Phase 1) and record your exemption intent on the premises form. Incomplete applications will be refused, so gather your evidence now.

Sources: E4C, registration opens, E4C registration guide (PDF), Evidence checklist

In England and Northern Ireland, three years; you then renew it with fresh evidence. In Scotland an exemption can be reviewed at any time instead. Either way it can be withdrawn, with written reasons and a chance to respond.

Sources: E4C criteria, sections 3.1.6 and 3.2.5

Yes. An exemption only means you don't have to take empties back. Every in-scope drink you sell still carries the 20p deposit, charged at the till, and you pay it to your supplier when you buy the stock.

Sources: E4C FAQ, GOV.UK

Exempt shops must tell customers that they don't take empties back and why, and where the nearest return point is so customers can get their deposit back. A shop that's been granted an exemption in England or Northern Ireland must also say how to find out about it. Exchange for Change will issue the notice in early 2027.

Sources: E4C criteria, sections 2.4 and 2.5, reg. 36 (England and NI)

Yes. A shop that runs a return point must take back every in-scope container a customer brings in, wherever it was bought.

Sources: E4C criteria, section 1.3, reg. 10 (England and NI)

Yes, on set grounds: the container is dirty, not empty, damaged, or can't be identified as part of the scheme, or the customer brings an unusually large amount. A shop that doesn't sell alcohol for reasons of faith or belief can refuse alcoholic-drink containers.

Sources: reg. 10 (England and NI), E4C criteria, section 4.4, Staff training

No. You can take empties back by hand over the counter, or with a reverse vending machine. By hand you earn 3p per empty; by machine, 5p for the first 225,000 a year, then 1.3p.

Sources: GOV.UK, E4C handling fee, Equipment

Over the counter, staff refund 20p per accepted container. A machine prints a voucher that the customer redeems at your till; Exchange for Change's machine spec expects this to work through your till system. GOV.UK says refunds can be by voucher, card or cash.

Sources: E4C FAQ, E4C machine spec, p.6, GOV.UK

Probably you. The ACS guide says shops will buy bags from recognised suppliers and label each full bag. Exchange for Change only says empties taken back by hand are checked, bagged, tagged and stored. Who supplies bags, and the cost, is not published yet unconfirmed.

Sources: ACS guide, E4C FAQ

Exchange for Change has appointed five firms by region: SUEZ and CIRQLR across most of England, Bywaters in London, Re.Group in Scotland and Re-Gen in Northern Ireland. How often they collect is not published yet unconfirmed.

Sources: E4C collection partners, Collections

Yes. Drinks filled before 1 October 2027 are outside the scheme and can still be sold, with no deposit and no logo. Exchange for Change suggests selling them through by April 2028, but that isn't a legal requirement.

Sources: E4C transition update

No. Containers sold before 1 October 2027 carried no deposit, so there's nothing to refund on them, even if a customer brings them back later.

Sources: E4C FAQ

The fee Exchange for Change pays a shop for each empty it takes back: 3p by hand, or 5p by machine for the first 225,000 a year and then 1.3p. It's meant to cover storage and collection equipment, staff training and the floor space used. It will be reviewed in early 2027, before launch, and every year after that.

Sources: E4C handling fee

The UK payment timing is not published yet unconfirmed. For comparison, Ireland's scheme pays shops within 30 days.

Sources: Re-turn (Ireland)

Keep your own record of every empty and every bag. The UK dispute process is not published yet unconfirmed. In Ireland, shops have 3 working days to query the monthly count.

Sources: Re-turn (Ireland)

Possibly. £6,000 per site, paid as 3 x £2,000 a year, for independents with 3 or fewer shops whose shop must run a return point (rural under 200 sq m, or urban 100-199 sq m). It's one grant per business, the machine must be available for over 90% of opening hours, and you need proof of order before launch. The first rounds are proposed from January 2027.

Sources: E4C grants update (PDF), Grant details

There's no official price. Trade press estimates run from about £10,000-£12,000 for a small machine to £50,000-£60,000 for a large one, with other estimates of £12,000-£20,000 for smaller models. Check running costs too: when Scotland's scheme was cancelled in 2023, some shops were left with contracts of nearly £4,000 a year.

Sources: Better Retailing, Better Retailing, BBC, Getting a quote

Yes. Wales includes single-use glass bottles, but no deposit or scheme label is needed on them before October 2031. Exchange for Change runs the Welsh scheme too. Welsh exemption rules and transition details are not published yet.

Sources: E4C FAQ, Welsh Government

The size thresholds are the same. "Urban" uses the Scottish Government's classification (classes 1 and 2), and an exemption can be reviewed at any time instead of lasting three years. SEPA is the regulator.

Sources: E4C exemption criteria

Mostly, yes. England and Northern Ireland share one set of regulations, so the deposit, duties and three-year exemptions match. "Urban" uses NISRA's 2015 classification, and Re-Gen collects empties there.

Sources: E4C exemption criteria, E4C collection partners

No. CheersEmpties is independent. Exchange for Change runs the scheme and makes every decision on registration, exemptions and grants. We summarise its published rules in our own words and link to the originals.