Deposit Return Machine | Compact Reverse Vending Unit | Cans & Bottles | DRS

A deposit return machine built for every store

From October 2027 shoppers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will pay a deposit on single-use drinks containers and will expect to hand them back in store. Most of the equipment built for that scheme is aimed at supermarkets: big, expensive, and far too large for a convenience store, pertrol station or garden centre.

This machine is the answer for everyone else. It takes up 0.37m2, weighs 17kg and sits on a counter, on its own cabinet or straight on top of a standard wheelie bin. The customer drops in their empty bottles and cans, the machine scans the barcode and weighs each one to stop misuse, and the container falls into a lined bin ready for collection. The reward goes back to the customer as a digital refund through the app or as a branded paper voucher with your name on it.

Why buy now and get ahead of the game

Until the scheme (DRS) goes live you can run the machine as a reward and voucher scheme of your own. Customers bring their empties back to you, get a voucher to spend in store, and the machine starts earning before the first deposit is ever handed over. That is two years of extra footfall your competitors will not have.

There is a practical reason to move early as well. Every retailer selling drinks in scope needs a return point ready for launch, and stores under 100m2 in urban areas will need their exemption confirmed. Thousands of shops will be ordering the same kit in the same few months in 2027. Order now and:

• You pick the machine, the mounting and the spot in store rather than taking what is left
• Staff and customers are used to it long before day one
• You start building return habits and repeat visits straight away
• You are ready to collect the Return Handling Fee from the moment the scheme starts
• No scramble for installation slots, and no 2027 queue

What it does

• Accepts PET plastic bottles and aluminium cans up to 3 litres
• Scans the barcode and weighs every container, so misuse and out-of-scope items are rejected
• Handles over 20 containers a minute, so nobody queues at the till to return their empties
• Pays out as a digital refund through the app or as a branded paper voucher
• Holds around 250 containers based on 500ml sizes
• Keeps working through a broadband outage and catches up when the connection returns
• Drops containers straight into a lined bin, so staff never handle empties over the counter
• Fully integrated with national deposit return schemes and already live with operators in Austria, Romania and Poland

The app does the rest

The merchant app shows fill levels, usage and payments in real time, so you empty the bin when it needs emptying rather than on a guess, and you can see your handling fees coming through. You can also set your own in-app discounts, which turns every returned can into a reason to spend in your store rather than the one down the road.

Delivery and support

Lead time is currently around 4 weeks, and that will stretch as 2027 gets closer and orders pile up. Supplied with a 12 month warranty. Cabinet supplied separately. Rolling out across more than one site? Ask us for a multi-site quote.

Estimated Delivery Window

We aim to deliver within the delivery window mentioned on the product page, though this may vary slightly depending on the product, stock levels, and order size.

Please Note

Lead times are provided as estimates only. Orders placed today may be subject to change depending on material availability, courier capacity, and staffing levels.

Deliveries requested for a specific date or time may incur an additional fee; however, these cannot be guaranteed. Any re-delivery required due to the customer not being present, site refusal, or similar reasons will also result in an additional delivery charge.

Store Fittings Direct reserves the right to delay delivery, without liability for any loss or financial penalty, due to any direct or indirect factors beyond our control.

Pay By Card

The easiest way to complete your purchase is by paying with a debit or credit card during the checkout process, providing your card is authorised, you order will be processed Immediately. All major debit and credit cards are accepted including American Express 

Finance 

If you are looking to finance your order, we have teamed up with Iwoca to bring you some of the most flexible finance available today. If approved, you could enjoy up to £30,000 of credit with repayments from 30 days  up to 12 months! 
Please see our finance section for more information, or simply apply at checkout, you'll be redirected to Iwoca for approval, if approved, your checkout will automatically complete.

BACS / Bank Transfer

This can be the simplest way to make a larger capital purchase without using a third party.
If this is the preferred method of payment, please select Bank Transfer at checkout.
Bank transfers should be made within 24 hours of placing your order, using your order number as a reference in the transfer. 
If you require longer than 24 hours, please contact our team and we will be happy to assist.