Is it worth investing in Reverse Vending Machines before a Deposit Return Scheme goes live in my country?
How to build a business case for RVMs in non‑DRS markets using closed loops, incentives, and future‑proofing.



The question

Is it commercially and operationally sensible to install Reverse Vending Machines before a national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) goes live, or in a market with no DRS at all?

The direct answer

For a multi‑site retailer, it is often rational to deploy a limited estate of RVMs before DRS go‑live, especially when launch is 18–24 months away. A controlled pre‑DRS deployment lets you de‑risk the national rollout: you learn the technology, test consumer behaviour, tune store standard operating procedures (SOPs), and feed real data into your DRS and estate planning. That learning curve can save significant capital and operating cost at rollout, and reduce risk to front‑line operations.

In markets without any legislated DRS, an RVM programme can still be justified where you can monetise three effects: ESG positioning, incremental footfall to your own estate, and commercial partnerships (for example beverage brands funding incentives and media on the machine). In these cases, RVMs are a branded asset and engagement tool rather than a statutory obligation.

Context: where the UK DRS is going

The UK Government has confirmed a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland with a go‑live date of October 2027. UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) has been appointed as the official operator of the scheme for single‑use plastic and metal drinks containers across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Retailers selling in‑scope containers will be expected to act as return points (unless exempt) and will receive a handling fee to compensate for the non‑recoverable costs of hosting returns. This combination—statutory obligation plus a defined fee model—means the question is not whether you will handle returns, but how you will do it with the lowest lifecycle cost and operational risk.

Against that backdrop, the “pre‑DRS RVM” question becomes a classic invest‑early vs invest‑late decision.

More information about the UK DRS roadmap and the role of UK DMO is available at:

Scenario 1 – Pre‑DRS markets (for example UK, around 22 months to go)

Why a pre‑DRS RVM deployment can be rational

In a large estate (hundreds of stores), going straight from zero machines to “full statutory coverage” in the 12–18 months before DRS launch is high risk:

  • You must validate technical choices (machine type, compaction, connectivity) at scale.
  • You must define store SOPs for a wide variety of formats and building constraints.
  • You must change consumer behaviour essentially “overnight”, on a fixed regulatory date.

A small, pre‑DRS deployment—say 1–5% of your estate—gives you an instrumented test bed. You can run a live pilot under your own commercial rules (loyalty points or discounts instead of statutory deposits) while you still have time to adjust.

What you learn by starting 18–24 months early

A structured pre‑DRS RVM programme should give you hard data on at least five dimensions.

1. Store operations and SOPs

You can quantify:

  • Container volumes by daypart and day of week.
  • Time per task for staff: emptying bins, clearing jams, cleaning, dealing with exceptions.
  • Impact on other tasks (tills, replenishment, queue management).

From this you derive realistic SOPs and labour models for different formats—convenience, supermarkets, travel locations—rather than relying on vendor assumptions.

2. Customer behaviour and acceptance

You see:

  • How quickly customers adopt the “return at store” behaviour without a legal deposit.
  • Whether RVM location (car park vs lobby) impacts participation.
  • Which incentive structures (loyalty points vs paper vouchers vs charity) drive repeat use.

Reverse vending is already recognised globally as the most convenient way to return containers in DRS contexts. Pre‑DRS, you are essentially rehearsing that same pattern with your own branding and incentives.

3. Technical performance in your real environment

You validate:

  • Connectivity across your network (LAN, Wi‑Fi, 4G fallback).
  • Integration patterns with your POS and loyalty platforms.
  • Actual uptime, error codes, and parts usage.

This is where the configuration options of a platform like Recyclever’s RVM5 series become relevant—choosing between RVM5‑800, RVM5‑1000 and RVM5‑1200 capacities, dual vs mono compaction, scanner type (360° or single), media screen, and connectivity options—to align the technical footprint to each store class.

Full technical specifications for the RVM5 range are available at:

4. Footfall and commercial impact

Because you control the incentive, you can measure:

  • Incremental visits to trial stores vs control stores.
  • Uplift in basket size linked to vouchers or loyalty points issued at the RVM.
  • Performance of branded activations on the 32" media screen vs static POS.

This pre‑DRS data gives you much more credible business cases when you negotiate handling fee assumptions, internal investment approvals, and brand partnerships.

5. Estate and property constraints

By installing a handful of machines across different archetypes—small urban box, edge‑of‑town, shopping‑centre unit—you discover practical constraints:

  • Power and data routing options.
  • Space for safe service access and bin exchanges.
  • Noise and cleanliness impacts in real trading.

This feeds directly into your DRS property strategy and exemption applications. Current guidance makes it clear that location, layout, size and construction can be valid grounds for exemption from acting as a return point, managed via the DMO’s application process. Real evidence from pilots strengthens your case.

How to structure incentives pre‑DRS

Pre‑DRS, you do not have a statutory deposit. You are creating your own micro‑scheme. In practice, for a large retailer you will normally:

  • Link the RVM to your loyalty scheme, so every qualified container returns points to the customer’s account, redeemable on a future shop.
  • Or issue a small discount voucher at the RVM, for example £0.01–£0.05 per container, redeemable against any purchase.

This mirrors the core logic of a DRS—buy the drink, borrow the container, get value back when you return—without waiting for national legislation.

For a property or project director, it is important to:

  • Cap the incentive budget and track it against incremental gross profit.
  • Use your pilot stores to find the minimum incentive that still drives strong participation.
  • Test different messaging on the media screen and customer communications.

Financial impact at DRS go‑live

When the UK DRS goes live under UK DMO, you will need to:

  • Switch to statutory deposit values and scheme‑compliant labelling.
  • Host return points or apply for (and justify) exemptions.
  • Receive a handling fee per container to cover non‑recoverable costs.

If you have completed a 12–18 month pre‑DRS pilot, then at this point you:

  • Already know which store archetypes work best with which RVM model and capacity.
  • Already have battle‑tested SOPs and labour assumptions.
  • Have real data to support internal budgets and external collaboration.

The capital you spent on the pilot machines is amortised not just over those locations, but over the risk reduction and cost avoidance across your full estate.

Scenario 2 – Markets without any DRS (ESG, brand, and commercial logic)

In a market without DRS on the legislative agenda, the RVM decision is different: you are not buying a compliance asset; you are buying an ESG and customer‑engagement platform. The question becomes: can you monetise ESG, local differentiation, and brand partnerships sufficiently to justify the cost?

ESG and corporate positioning

Deposit return schemes are widely recognised as an effective tool to increase recycling rates, reduce litter, and support a circular economy. Even without a national scheme, deploying RVMs demonstrates that you are moving in that direction voluntarily.

For a retailer, this can support:

  • Sustainability commitments and ESG reporting.
  • Local authority relationships, especially in city‑centre and transport‑hub locations.
  • Differentiation vs competitors who are slower to act.

Recyclever’s overview of DRS and its role in circular economy can be found at:

Footfall, loyalty, and local PR

A well‑designed RVM deployment can:

  • Provide a new reason for customers to visit your store to recycle.
  • Build loyalty through rewards or community causes (for example a local charity donation option at the RVM).
  • Generate positive local and regional press when launched with a clear narrative.

In this scenario, you are using reverse vending as a branded service and story: “we make it easy for our community to recycle and get rewarded.”

Commercial partnerships with beverage brands

Without a statutory deposit, you can invite beverage brands and other partners to co‑fund the initiative:

  • They sponsor the incentive (for example “double loyalty points on Brand X containers this month”).
  • Their advertising runs on the RVM media screen and in your broader communications.
  • The RVM ticket or digital voucher can carry brand‑specific offers, such as a discount on that beverage company’s products.

Because RVMs like the RVM5 range can be equipped with 32" media screens, barcode and NFC readers and configurable voucher printers, they are well suited to this kind of activation rather than purely generic recycling.

Material value and closed‑loop opportunities

In high‑traffic sites such as shopping centres, stadiums, campuses and factories, you can also:

  • Capture reasonably clean PET and aluminium streams.
  • Sell material to recyclers under better terms than mixed municipal streams.
  • Explore “internal closed loop” uses (for example drinks consumed on‑site returned on‑site), which fits well with corporate circular‑economy messaging.

While material revenues alone rarely justify the RVM investment, they contribute to the business case and strengthen the ESG narrative.

When early RVM investment does not make sense

For completeness, there are situations where a pre‑DRS or non‑DRS RVM programme is harder to justify:

  • Very small estates where each machine would sit in isolation and the learning cannot be scaled.
  • Geographies where DRS is highly uncertain or politically unstable, making “future‑proofing” speculative.
  • Business models with minimal direct customer interaction (for example wholesale cash‑and‑carry with no consumer‑facing front).

In those cases, it may be more prudent to wait for regulatory certainty, or to pilot in partnership with a brand or landlord rather than on your own balance sheet.

How to scope a pre‑DRS RVM pilot properly

For a UK‑style pre‑DRS pilot, a property or projects team should consider the following steps.

Define clear objectives

  • Validate store‑level SOPs.
  • Quantify labour and cost impacts.
  • Measure footfall and basket uplift.
  • Test integration patterns (POS, loyalty, data).

Select representative stores

Include the main archetypes—urban small, suburban mid‑box, large edge‑of‑town, travel—so you do not optimise only for your easiest building.

Choose scalable configurations

Use the same RVM platform and options (capacity, scanner type, media screens, connectivity) that you would plausibly use at scale, not a one‑off experimental unit. For example, select from RVM5‑800, RVM5‑1000 and RVM5‑1200 with appropriate compactor and compartment configurations for your main formats.

Align with UK DMO roadmap

Track updates and guidance from UK DMO as they refine targets, return‑point expectations, and retailer handling fees, and adjust your pilot design accordingly.

Instrument and review rigorously

Treat the pilot as a formal project with baselines, KPIs, and structured learning reviews, not just “we put some machines in and saw what happened”.

Where Recyclever fits

If you choose to explore a pre‑DRS or non‑DRS RVM programme, you will want:

  • A machine platform that is already designed to be DRS‑compliant and can adapt to the UK scheme when it launches.
  • Flexibility to operate both in DRS “database mode” and in AI‑based “non‑DRS mode” for closed‑loop or incentive‑only deployments.

You can find more context on DRS and reverse vending, along with updates on UK developments, at:

For technical specifications of the RVM5‑800, RVM5‑1000 and RVM5‑1200, and to discuss how they can be configured for pre‑DRS pilots or ESG‑led programmes, visit:


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