From 2 million to 3.2 million: Ireland’s DRS unlocks significant milestone in the first six months

Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has seen impressive growth in its first six months. Re-turn, the scheme operator, announced that since its launch on February 1, Irish consumers have returned more than 347 million drink containers, including aluminium, plastic and others.

By returning these containers through the scheme, consumers contribute to the collection of higher-quality recyclable material compared to dry mixed recycling. This dedicated separation process allows for the continuous recycling of aluminium and enables plastic bottles to be recycled up to seven times.

Public support has steadily increased, with a significant rise in the number of bottles and cans being returned each month. In February, the scheme's first month, 2 million containers were returned, and by July, the daily average had surged to 3.2 million returns, culminating in over 102 million returns for the month.

Expansion of the Re-turn network

The Re-turn network has expanded significantly in response to the scheme's growing popularity, with more than 870 new Deposit Return Points established. The network now includes over 2,500 Reverse Vending Machines and 323 manual return points nationwide. A primary objective of the Deposit Return Scheme is to educate consumers on the advantages of separately collecting and recycling PET plastic and aluminium drink containers rather than disposing of them in home recycling bins or general waste bins.

Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn, said, "We have seen incredible engagement with the scheme during its first six months in operation, particularly considering that this included a four-month transition period. The immediate impact, as shown in the recent Irish Business Against Litter survey, has been more than we could have anticipated. The nationwide research found that almost 30 per cent fewer cans and 20 per cent fewer plastic bottles are littering streets. It is fantastic to see these results in just the first six months of the scheme, and we are expecting these figures to rise."

A recent survey by Re-turn revealed that 84 per cent of consumers have used a Reverse Vending Machine since the scheme's launch, with overall support for the scheme at 74 per cent. More than half of the consumers (59 per cent) return their empty drink containers when their bag or box at home is full, while 36 per cent bring them back during their grocery shopping trips. After receiving a voucher, 20 per cent choose to redeem it for cash, while 62 per cent use it immediately towards their grocery purchases.

'Return for Children' launched

In June, the 'Return for Children' initiative was launched in partnership with six of Ireland's leading children's charities: Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack & Jill, LauraLynn Children's Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland. This initiative aims to minimise mixed litter at events by allowing attendees to donate their bottles and can deposit them at specially designated Re-turn bins. All proceeds from these deposits will be directed to support the six participating charities.

"We have also seen tremendous participation among community and charity organisations, including schools, GAA clubs and tidy towns groups, who have been collecting containers as part of their fundraising efforts. Over 140 community and non-profit organisations across the country are now working with Re-turn to carry out fundraising efforts which we are supporting by providing facilities and advice for each project. While I believe we have come a long way, we are continuing to explore new ways to grow the adoption of the scheme in the interest of the environment and communities across Ireland," added Ciaran Foley.

Drinks containers returned in Months:

2 million containers February
20 million containers in March
51 million containers in April
78 million containers in May
90 million containers in June
102 million containers in July

Daily average of drinks containers returned in months:

69,000 containers a day in February
670,000 containers a day in March
1.7 million containers a day in April
2.5 million containers a day in May
3 million containers a day in June
3.2 million containers a day in July