The number of people using the Deposit Return Scheme is “phenomenal” and has exceeded expectations so far. 

One hundred days after the scheme began, Re-Turn CEO Ciaran Foley said the DRS is still in a “transition period” but that he is happy with the uptake thus far. 

“Obviously, [there’s] a lag,” he told The Hard Shoulder. 

“We don’t know when your kids are going to bring back those bottles, we don’t know the timelines. 

“If we said we took 2 million in February, we took 20 million back in March, 50 million in April and we’re on target to do 75 to 80 million in May.

“The growth is phenomenal and it’s probably ahead of where we would have expected it to be.” 

Minister Ossian Smyth and Re-turn CEO Ciaran Foley launch the Deposit Return Scheme. Image: Julien Behal Photography

Mr Foley said Re-Turn needs a few more months to work out precisely how many bottles and cans are being returned and how many are being lost or thrown away.

“It’ll take 12 to 18 months for us to say what the lag is for Ireland, how the seasonal impact is and what the percentage is,” he said. 

“But the numbers are very strong and getting stronger all the time.” 

A deposit Return Point for Cans and Bottles outside a Lidl in Dublin, 01-02-2024. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

For those bottles or cans that are not quickly returned, the deposit is held by the company in the expectation and hope it will be reclaimed at a later date. 

“It’s really important to say that this is a not for profit scheme - so, there’s talk of tax and all that stuff,” he said. 

“It’s nothing like that; what we want you to do is go back and get your money back. 

“In the meantime, we have a long-term business plan, we have a 10-year-plan; we knew there would be some unredeemed deposits as part of our business plan. 

“In the long-run that will diminish but what we’re looking for is that all the bottles and cans come back. We don’t want the money; we want people to get their money back.” 

The ultimate aim of the DRS is to boost Ireland’s recycling rates; in 2021, only 41% of municipal waste was recycled - significantly below an EU target of 55% by next year.

Main image: A worker demonstrates a Deposit Return Scheme Reverse Vending Machine in a Marks & Spencer supermarket in Dublin, 1-2-34. Image: Stephanie Rohan/Newstalk