The cash for recycling method established in a trial scheme could help Wales fulfill its zero waste goals. From July 2020 to July 2021, a four-week experiment of the digital deposit return scheme (DRS) was held in Conwy. Participants in the experiment were paid 25 cents for each bottle when they scanned specially labeled bottles when recycling them at home. WRAP Cymru, the charity that ran the pilot, said the notion might “help Wales to deliver on its recycling ambitions”. People can scan bottles at home using a smartphone app, eliminating the need to return containers in person, as in a typical DRS scheme. The trial’s findings, which utilized Polytag Technology, suggested that a widespread program may increase collection rates, minimize trash, and reduce carbon emissions by promoting high-quality recycling.

The trial, which was carried out in collaboration with Conwy Council and the Welsh government, discovered that it might provide homeowners with more choice and flexibility in terms of how and when they recycle. The system discovered that 73 percent of the 237 households in the pilot “participated fully” by scanning every bottle during the four-week period. However, any wider implementation, according to the research, would need to ensure that households without appropriate technology could still participate. “WRAP Cymru is pleased to have been involved with this innovative work investigating the possibility of using the well-established recycling collections already provided by Welsh councils as part of a deposit return scheme,” said Emma Hallett, of WRAP Cymru’s Collaborative Change Program.”