Mitchelstown sees its first reverse vending machine

Reverse vending machines, whereby consumers put in plastic containers (rather than taking them out) have been around for a number of years, with the first introduced in Monaghan in 2019. Now, Mitchelstown is in on the act with the innovative recycling venture.

From last week, residents in the town have the opportunity to recycle their PET plastic bottles and aluminium drinks cans via the reverse vending machine, which is located in Aldi. The store will be donating €1,000 a month to Barnardos as part of the initative - the first instance in Ireland of a reverse vending machine scheme to establish a direct fundraising link to an Irish charity.

The reverse vending machine is capable of collecting and storing up to 3,000 plastic bottles or 12,000 cans at any given time. If rolled out nationally, this scheme could potentially see an estimated 146 million bottles and cans recycled annually throughout the Aldi store network.

Generally, plastic captured through the vending machines is processed into a plastic pellet, which will then be used to make new recyclable plastic packaging.

(Pic: Daragh McSweeney/Provision) Pictured at the launch of Mitchelstown’s first reverse vending machine in Aldi are l-r: Halina McNabb, Fundraising Executive at Barnardos Ireland; Emelia Beckett, Seb McCarthy, along with Colin Breslin, Regional Managing Director at Aldi Ireland.