More than two-thirds of shoppers would be willing to return drinks containers to reclaim a 20p deposit, according to polling company YouGov. The survey found that 71% of shoppers would return containers under the forthcoming deposit return scheme (DRS).
Consumer Preferences on Return Points and Methods
More than half of those polled (57%) said they would like return machines to be located inside or outside supermarkets, while only 11% chose convenience stores. However, well over half of shoppers (61%) said they had never heard of the DRS until they were asked about it.
Potential barriers to returning containers included the distance to return points (61%), queues (49%) and time-consuming returns (42%).
Age Group Differences and Store Impact
Willingness to participate in the DRS was high across all age groups, but slightly higher (76%) among those aged 18 to 24 than the least enthusiastic group, 35- to 44-year-olds (67%). Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (64%) said they would be more likely to shop at a store that makes it easy to return containers and reclaim their deposit.
Preferred Deposit Reimbursement Options
More than two in five (43%) said their preferred method of receiving their deposit back would be on their payment card or digital wallet. Twenty-five percent preferred cash, while retailer vouchers (10%) and loyalty points (9%) were less popular. Just 4% said they would choose to donate their deposits to charity.
The DRS is set to launch across the UK in October 2027.
