Re-turn, the operator of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), has reported that more than 750 million drink containers have been returned since the launch of the scheme on 1 February this year.
On Wednesday 27 November, the DRS reached the significant milestone, which was over 100 million containers higher than October’s figure of 635 million, as reported by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
As uptake and adoption of the scheme continues to grow, the Re-turn network of DRS return points has also increased by over 700 since its launch.
There are now over 2,500 reverse vending machines (RVMs) and over 300 manual collection return points nationwide.
Since its launch over the summer, Re-turn’s charity initiative, Return for Children, has raised over €83,000, divided evenly across its six charity partners: Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and Make-A-Wish Ireland.
As a circular-economy initiative, Ireland’s DRS aims to move away from the ‘take, make and dispose’ culture to one of returning valuable materials and keeping them in the economy for as long as possible.
Through the DRS, aluminium cans can be recycled infinitely, while PET plastic bottles can be recycled multiple times, reducing the need for the use of virgin materials.
By returning drink containers, consumers are contributing to a sustainable future and guaranteeing that materials are recycled into new drink containers.
Since its launch, Re-turn has reported month-on-month growth in container returns.
‘Make A Real Difference’
Commenting on the progress of the scheme, the CEO of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley, said, “This significant milestone speaks to how widely the scheme has been embraced by the people of Ireland and is helping to make a real difference.
“Only last week, Coastwatch Ireland confirmed that this year has seen the lowest average bottle-and-can count in 25 years of the marine litter survey.
“As well as environmental change, we have been particularly impressed by how the scheme has ignited communities in starting their own initiatives, using the DRS for fundraising.
“We are also very grateful to consumers who have supported the Return for Children charity initiative.
“We look forward to seeing the further positive effects the scheme will have over the coming months.”
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