People will soon be able to get money back for their plastic bottles with a new government scheme.
The Deposit Return Scheme will award 15 cents towards small soft drink cans, while larger plastic bottles will result in a pay out of 25 cents. The government hopes to promote sustainability through the new scheme, as Ireland is currently falling flat on its EU climate targets.
Non-profit company Return.ie will introduce a network of vending machines across the country to facilitate the project. After people insert their plastic items into the machine, they will receive a voucher, which they can exchange for cash in participating stores.
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Minister for State Ossian Smyth introduced the Deposit Return Scheme yesterday. It has since been welcomed by many Green Party politicians as a progressive step towards climate action in Ireland.
Green Party politician Claire Byrne said: “This is a massive step towards a more circular economy, cleaning up our streets and reaching our recycling targets. The Green Party have been pushing this for ages so it’s great to see it happening.”
The plans will be funded by slapping an additional tax on plastic bottles sold in Ireland. This means that drinks purchased in aluminium cans or plastic will be slightly more costly for customers.
The plans will take a while to implement however, as the reverse vending machines will not be up and running until February 2024. Ossian Smyth has said that the project will be in place to help beat the EU’s 2025 climate target.
Europe aims to be climate neutral by 2050, an ambitious target that seeks an end to greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland’s carbon footprint remains high, with approximately 1.9 billion plastic cans and bottles in use here each year.
Ossian Smyth previously explained on Morning Ireland that putting plastic in green bins was “not enough” to ensure adequate recycling. He said the Return Deposit Scheme would motivate people to become more sustainable in daily life.
He told RTE listeners: “"Many people are putting it into their green bin, but it's just not enough and a lot are ending up on the ground - so, there is a lot of litter. A benefit that's going to come out of this scheme is that people are not going to have a party and leave a lot of cans and bottles on the ground because they're going to be worth money."
People will be also be able to pay for products in participating retailers using the vouchers automated by the machine. They can also decide to donate the money directly to charity.
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