A digital deposit return scheme (DDRS) is being trialed by supermarkets such as Aldi, Co-op and Morrisons by an entire town in Wales.
According to The Grocer, the retailers are starting a three-month trial in Brecon on 13 July, and comes amid growing claims from supporters that a digital-based system could be a far less costly alternative for industry and governments.
More than 4,000 households will be able to claim a 10p reward, both online and in stores, each time they recycle drinks containers with the trial including plastic bottles, cans, and other products sold by more than 20 different retailers.
Companies running the trial, which is backed by major suppliers including Nestlé and Danone, are expecting around 250,000 product returns during the period – which they claim is the biggest trial to date of DDRS technology.
A marketing campaign will ask households to scan a QR code when they recycle products at home for kerbside collections, with community bins and over the counter return points being used.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
Aconsultant for the DDRS Alliance, Duncan Midwood, said that a digital DRS is able to save retailers from the huge expenses involved in employing a network of reverse vending machines.
Whilst the trial includes glass, it will only be returnable via kerbside collections, with Midwood telling The Grocer it “avoided the nightmare” of glass being returned to stores.
“Momentum is building behind digital,” he commented. “I’m as confident as I ever have been that DDRS is the future, but that is not to downplay the barriers ahead in making it happen.”
The news comes as the DRS in Scotland has been officially delayed until at least October 2025, after industry leaders warned Scottish ministers against making further progress without support from Westminster.
