Analysis: From bin holders to deposit donations, there are many small ways to collect more bottles and cans.
When the deposit return scheme was first launched in February 2024, two million plastic bottles and drink cans were returned throughout that month. This figure increased tenfold to 20 million bottles and cans in March, 50 million bottles in April, 75 million bottles in May, and 90 million bottles in June, bringing the average to 3 million bottles and cans per day. Reached.
In Denmark, where the system has been in place for a century, more than 1 billion containers have been returned so far in 2024. In response, more than 300 million containers in our country were returned (although the Danish system also includes some glass bottles). You’ll have a pretty solid job in a few months. The highest value of drinks containers returned in a single day in Ireland was over 3.66 million on Saturday 13th July.
The reason we do this is to strengthen our recycling efforts, reduce garbage and waste, protect the environment, and create a “closed-loop recycling system” in which cans and bottles are recycled and turned back into new cans and bottles. ” to build. material. We must also meet the EU’s plastic bottle recycling targets of 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029.
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From RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, the likelihood of plastic bottles and street littering has been reduced by 30% since the introduction of the deposit refund scheme.
What did you do before the deposit return system was introduced? About 60% of plastic bottles and cans were collected in recycling bins for recycling. This means that more than 30% was not collected, leading to increased littering and pollution. We are now trying to achieve in years what some countries have taken decades to achieve, and we need all the help we can get. Here are five things Ireland can learn from other deposit return schemes and what behavioral psychology has to say about it.
Holders on the side of bins for bottles and cans
Currently, if you buy a drink on the go, there is no convenient way to dispose of the container without finding a vending machine or a store that will pick up your drink over the counter. However, in countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, you can find trash cans with holders where you can keep empty bottles and cans. The idea is to pay it forward by giving your deposit to someone who may need it more than you. But it’s also just to ensure that bottles and cans don’t end up in the regular trash or end up in nature’s waste.
A trash can with a holder for bottles in a park in Utrecht, Netherlands. Photo: RTÉ Brainstorming
Why does this help increase engagement with this plan? “When it comes to overall behavior change, when I think about a behavior change initiative or any kind of intervention, the first thing I think about is this. ” says Dr. Shane Timmons. Senior Researcher in ESRI’s Behavioral Research Unit. “An important aspect of behavior change that appears in various theoretical models is to facilitate and socialize the behavior.”
By making it social, factors like social norms are taken into account. For example, you can see that other people are doing it, so you know you’re not alone in carrying the extra burden. As such, “the scheme is probably working very well” because the machines are installed in supermarkets and stores and can be seen being used by others, he says.
Timmons said the program’s most targeted behaviors are those where people don’t yet recycle. “Household recycling rates for plastic bottles and cans are already quite high, so those who don’t already do so will have an incentive to do so.However, much of the impact of this scheme will be in targeting these people. I think it was an event that didn’t recycle, probably because there were no facilities for people to recycle. ”
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Hear from RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline on why listeners love the deposit return scheme
But changing behavior is difficult, especially when people are trying to “change ingrained habits,” Timmons said. “For example, if there is no facility to easily recycle cans and bottles in public places or events, we need to put mechanisms in place to make it easier.” Side pockets make this easier and prevent it from entering the general waste stream. ”
As humans, we don’t like to change our behavior. There’s a well-established cognitive bias called status quo bias, which “really just describes the tendency for people to have a strong preference for things to stay the way they are, even if they wish there were an alternative. ” he explains. In addition, when faced with change, we tend to “over-emphasize the negative,” especially when it affects our sense of fairness.
Donate machine deposits to charity
Having the option to donate your deposit to one or more charities when you drop off your container at a reverse vending machine is a small way that adds up to a big return.
Collecting bottles and cans at major events
Garbage is often scattered in places where many people gather. Especially when you can’t bring drinks to a live show or sporting event. One way to collect all this waste is through collection points outside and inside the venue, or through charity work where volunteers collect containers from attendees. That way, your deposit will also go to a good cause and not to the trash.
Before the security check at the UEFA EURO 2024 Fan Zone in Berlin. Photo: Courtesy of James Mullen
The initiative has already been launched in Ireland as a ‘Return for Children’ fundraiser, supporting Childline by Barnardos, Barrettstown, Make-A-Wish Ireland, Jack & Jill Foundation, Lauralyn Children’s Hospice and ISPCC. There is. The goal is to have people attending festivals, concerts, and sports games return their bottles and cans in designated drop boxes, with the deposit going to charity.
All containers can be injected at once, including containers outside the scheme.
For the time being, it’s inevitable that vending machines will have to be fed one bottle or can at a time. Depending on how long you’ve been saving everything, this can be an arduous task. In places like Denmark and Sweden, new machines can be used to dump them all at once before calculating profits. In Denmark, you can also download an app that transfers your deposit directly into your bank account.
In Sweden, machines accept basically any drink container. Even if it’s not part of the scheme, the money won’t be refunded, Ylva Andersson, a research assistant in ESRI’s Behavioral Research Unit, told Brainstorm. Other useful tips? A sink for people to wash their hands after handling (sometimes sticky) bottles and cans, and a trash can for recycling used bags.
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Video by Dansk Retursystem showing how to return all your bottles and cans at once using the Danish Deposit Return Scheme app
Part of the success of these plans, Anderson says, is that they have become a natural part of people’s daily lives. For example, children may drop off family bottles as part of their weekly chores. Students living in shared accommodation may use their deposit to purchase shared household items (such as detergent). “It’s also a good way to get money after planning a party.”
Connecting the local and global
“What we’re trying to do here is large-scale habit formation for sustainability,” says environmental psychologist Dr Tadhg McIntyre, associate professor at Maynooth University. He says that while we have had successes with sustainability strategies and initiatives in Ireland in the past, these have been isolated actions. What is important is that people understand that the region is connected to the world.
Engagement with deposit return systems needs to be linked to a “broader transition to sustainability”, McIntyre said. “This is probably the problem we miss the most. When we develop a singular initiative, we need to connect it to broader community efforts.”
There are many ways to do this. For example, he outlines things like linking active travel and recycling, recycling and direct health benefits, or community clean-up efforts that provide additional recycling and financial bonuses from deposits. In schools, he suggests classes could walk to local stores and learn about deposit return schemes as part of their recycling habits. When something is community-driven, “people feel like they’re a part of the game.”
Another way to make people feel like they’re in the game is to disseminate data from reverse vending machines to show how many containers the community is returning and the value of those deposits. Some companies are already doing this. “That information should be part of local campaigns,” McIntyre said. It’s like a “positive feedback loop” and encourages more engagement. “Putting data back into the community is the key to success.”
In Scandinavia, the social fabric of society is intertwined and connected by a commitment to sustainability. “Ireland is probably more isolated because of these measures,” he says. “That’s exactly where we are. We’re definitely making progress, but the connected pieces are really important.”
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The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
