After initial consumer confusion and frustration, Ireland’s first bottle deposit return scheme has finally been accepted by the public, with 111 million containers returned in August, up from 2 million in February when the scheme was launched. New data shows an increase from books.
Return, which was tasked by the Irish government to implement the scheme as part of efforts to meet the EU’s 90% recycling target, said 630 million containers were put into top and bottom vending machines in the eight months starting February. announced that it had been placed. country.
Latest figures show revenue soared from 2 million to 110 million a month, in the biggest change in behavior since the plastic bag tax was introduced in 2001.
“Ultimately, this is a very easy way for people to feel good about themselves, because a lot of people want to recycle and do the right thing for the planet,” the company said. Ciaran Foley, Chief Executive Officer of Re-turn, which is responsible for the mission of Involves implementation and execution of the scheme.
The scheme has also helped reduce litter on the streets, raise money for charities and even help homeless people and children collect small amounts of cash.
Siaba Dunning deposits the bottle in the Re-turn reverse vending machine. Photo: Lisa O’Carroll/The Guardian
A similar system has stalled several times in the UK, and previously in Ireland, but it has also been rolled out in many EU countries, including Germany, where consumers have been able to return bottles and cans since 2006. A system exists.
Siaba Dunning, a train driver on the Dublin Westport Line, said that before she left her rubbish behind, she was now able to collect €0.15 (12p) per can and €0.25 per plastic bottle, making it easier for people to leave their rubbish behind. He said he noticed that he started taking trash home from the train.
At first, he was reluctant to collect the empty cans at home, he said as he dropped 63 cans and bottles into a vending machine at a local supermarket, Dunn’s Store.
Dunning says: “I live in a house with four other girls, most of whom we buy during the week from pre-mixed cans or sodas, or from drinks like Miwadi (Irish concentrated soft drink). It’s a bottle.
“I didn’t like carrying bags so it wasn’t really forced on me, but I don’t want to waste my 0.15 euro deposit so I’ll get used to it.”
John Eustace is also at the machine, returning 44 bottles. “These are from the office. We take turns coming here to return them and use them to buy things like milk for the office. It’s like petty cash for the office,” he said. Masu.
For a country with a population of just over 5 million people, a return rate of over 110 million per month seems to be a sign of success. But solutions remain for Ireland, where an estimated 1.7 billion cans and plastic bottles are placed on the market each year.
The return machine will print a receipt showing the total deposit. Photo: Lisa O’Carroll/The Guardian
As an EU member, Ireland needs to increase this to 77% next year and 90% by 2029, all part of a bloc-wide effort to promote a circular economy.
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles can be recycled seven times and cans can be recycled indefinitely.
For other countries, such as the UK, which wants to launch its own system in 2026, Foley said the challenge should not be underestimated.
“When we started live streaming, we received a lot of pushback from the public,” he says. “Social media can be cruel. There were problems with the machines. It was taking time for retailers to get used to the machines, so containers would fill up and not be replaced fast enough. The public also complained that they already had a perfectly good recycling scheme in place.”
Logistically, the preparations were complicated. Suppliers had to change their production lines to implement the Re-turn logo.
So what happens if empty containers are smuggled out of Northern Ireland? Will supermarkets along the border be tricked into refunding cash for bottles bought in Derry or Armagh?
Supermarkets price their vending machines between €12,000 and €25,000, but as an incentive they receive 2.2 cents for every container they deposit. If too many cans come from Northern Ireland, supermarkets will not be able to meet their break-even targets.
Eventually, Return convinced its suppliers, including Coca-Cola, which operates international barcodes in 82 countries, to produce barcodes specifically for Ireland.
Bins in Dublin will be fitted with ‘surrounding shelves’, allowing consumers to dispose of cans and bottles without contaminating them with other substances. Photo: Fennel Photo
“We’re happy with where we are, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Foley said.
Efforts are being made to reduce the number of containers discarded in public bins, stadiums and other public places.
Croke Park, Gaelic football’s national stadium, currently has 400 red bins for containers, but Dublin City Council is experimenting with a plan to stop people rummaging through them on the streets. . There have also been reports that some homeless people in need of cash are walking around with universal keys that open the doors of street bins.
In the coming weeks, 80 bins across the city will be equipped with “perimeter shelving”, allowing consumers to dispose of cans and bottles without contaminating them with other substances, while making it easier for scavengers. You can bring cans and bottles into the store to get cash.
