Ireland will join a range of countries in using a Deposit Return Scheme to encourage people to recycle their plastic bottles and aluminium cans (no glass bottles or food cans). Over 30% of our plastic bottles and cans are currently ending up in the waste bin or in our environment – where they don’t get recycled. This initiative encourages us to recycle these.

How it works:

There is a carrot and stick approach.

• The stick is when you purchase plastic bottles and drink cans from 1st February 2024, you will automatically pay an extra 15c per item (25c for some larger bottles).
• The carrot is that if you return these bottles or cans when you are finished with them, you will get the 15c back. If you don’t, well you are out of pocket by 15c foreach item

If you were one of the good guys recycling all of these in your recycling bin up until now, you will need to change your habits – you will get charged the 15c in the shop, but you won’t get the 15c back unless you return it to a location where they have the deposit and return facilities.

(P.S – It doesn’t have to be the shop you bought the item in)

Before returning make sure to empty and rinse out the bottles or cans. Put the cap back on bottles and don’t squash them.

Get involved, promote good choices:

Whether we agree with the initiative or not, we have no choice about getting charged 15c. What we do have is a choice on whether we bring back the plastic bottles and drink cans and reclaim the 15c. Why not make the more sustainable choice?

Of course, there is one other option here, which trumps them all – cut down or eliminate the purchase of plastic bottles or aluminium cans – problem solved. Or better again, what if manufacturers were to stop making plastic bottles altogether?

In the meantime, I’m going to get on board and store all my 15c to do something nice. I’m going to encourage my kids to collect bottles and cans wherever they see them – what a great fundraising idea for clubs and societies and kids…”any spare bottles or cans, Sir?”.

Every time we go to the supermarket, I will bring the stock of bottles and cans with me on that weekly journey.

Do you have a club, team or local community group that might like to do this too?

For more details on the Deposit Return Scheme, visit Re-turn.ie