Trash Free Trails has forecast that the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) could lead to 2.4 million fewer discarded drinks containers on the UK’s public rights of way by 2030.
The not-for-profit’s latest State of Our Trails Report found that drinks containers account for one in four litter items recorded on public trails, parks, woodlands and national parks.
Ahead of the scheme’s planned introduction on 1 October 2027, the report draws on international examples to assess the potential impact on the UK’s green spaces.
According to Trash Free Trails, international deposit return schemes have reported reductions in drinks container litter of up to 80% after 12 months. Its UK forecast assumes similar results could be achieved here.
The report outlines a 20p deposit on PET plastic drinks bottles and aluminium and steel cans from 150ml to three litres, refunded when containers are taken to return points. It says the Welsh scheme will also include glass and a roadmap to reuse.
The report highlights the Republic of Ireland, where DRS launched in February 2024. It cites IBAL surveys showing drinks container litter was 60% less common after the scheme’s first 12 months.
Trash Free Trails also argues that removing bottles and cans could help reduce other types of litter, alongside improving recycling rates.
“The deposit return scheme will not only be a win for drinks brands looking to reduce their prevalence in our trash surveys,” said Trash Free Trails CEO Dom Ferris. “This will also create systemic waves across the single-use economy. By reducing the numbers of drinks containers that are littered, we’ll see meaningful reductions in other types of litter too.”
The report also points to potential benefits for wildlife. Trash Free Trails says 5% of its litter surveys recorded signs of animal death, often linked to entrapment in bottles and cans.
“We have hundreds of surveys each year which report evidence of animals becoming trapped in bottles and cans and dying – in places as remote as on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in Eryri National park,” Ferris said.
Alongside its forecasts, the report explains how DRS will work, how organisations can support its introduction and where the scheme could be improved.
To coincide with the report’s release, Trash Free Trails volunteers are heading out on trails across the country to count and remove drinks containers, adding to the organisation’s citizen science data ahead of the scheme’s launch.
Trash Free Trails works across conservation, education, events and research, aiming to reconnect people with nature by removing single-use pollution from outdoor spaces.
As of October 2026, its community had removed and surveyed 740,000 items of pollution from trail ecosystems, involving more than 9,000 people.
More information is available on the Trash Free Trails website.
