Deposit Return Schemes Contract

The aim of this research project is twofold: 1. to determine the financial impacts of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) on low income households and other groups who may face barriers to using the scheme; and 2. to understand how these households may react to and engage with the scheme in a post Covid-19 context. Previous consumer research found that respondents in lower socio-economic grades were less likely to find it easy to store empty drinks containers at home and take empty containers back to return points than respondents in other socio-economic grades. Respondents in lower socio-economic grades were also more likely to cite access problems due to age or disability and transport issues as being factors for why they would not use a DRS all of the time. These findings suggest that when the scheme is launched, low income households may be more likely to forego the deposit at a financial cost to themselves. This project should make use of available evidence and collect new primary data to explore how these consumers are likely to react to the introduction of the scheme, covering aspects such as their willingness to purchase in-scope containers, their willingness and ability to use return points, and any associated effects on household recycling. The project covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.