Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with industry representatives on the implementation of a deposit return scheme since November 2023.

Defra is pushing ahead with its programme of reforms to reduce waste and improve our use of resources and remain committed to our goal of eliminating avoidable waste by 2050. It’s essential that we work closely with industry to make sure our reforms will be a success, and we will continue to engage with businesses closely as we proceed with introducing the deposit return scheme.

Defra engage stakeholders across industry (including large and small drinks producers, retailers, wholesalers, and the hospitality sector). We are listening to, and will continue to work with, industry to assess the feasibility of the implementation date as we progress with this project including as part of the Deposit Management Organisation application process.