Confused public leave a cents-less mess at recyclers
THE company behind the new Deposit Return Scheme is monitoring its implementation after a number of complaints from the public.
Out-of-order machines, scanning issues and abandoned recyclables are being reported by customers seeking their 15-to-25cent deposit back.
On Monday, Fine Gael senator Barry Ward posted an unsightly image from his local Lidl in Glenageary, south Dublin.
It depicted two out-of-order Re-Turn machines and a number of plastic bags overflowing with bottles and cans. They were left
‘Machines have been inactive’
next to a full recycling bin that the store had put in place in the event that the machines did not accept an empty container.
‘Lidl had their own deposit initiative months before this ReTurn scheme was rolled out,’ Mr Ward said. ‘However, the machines have been inactive for about two weeks so I assume they’re being recalibrated to accept bottles and cans with the Re-Turn logo. This is why they weren’t functioning.
‘Obviously, people didn’t know this and arrived with their bottles and left them for the staff to pick up... In fairness to Lidl, they cleared this mess by the time I had finished my shop.’
Mr Ward said he fully supports the Deposit Return Scheme. However, former Fine Gael TD Noel Rock said he is still sceptical of the initiative.
‘Lots of problems arising with this scheme,’ he said on social media. ‘I’m really just not sure about it and haven’t been since before launch. I like how some deposit schemes operate in other countries, but ours seems very over-engineered and inconvenient from outset.’
In a statement to the Irish Daily Mail, Re-Turn, the company that runs the scheme, said issues around large amounts of rejected bottles being abandoned do ‘not appear to be widespread’.
The company said it continues to monitor this as the implementation of the scheme progresses.
If a consumer is in any doubt about whether their drinks container is included in the scheme, they can visit www.re-turn.ie to verify.