The commencement of the new Deposit Return Scheme for plastic drinks bottles and cans is effective today, accompanied by an urging of public support. As of today, all retailers will impose a deposit fee ranging from 15 cents to 25 cents on new stocks of beverages in plastic and aluminum containers ranging from 150ml to 3 liters in size.

Major supermarket chains, along with several smaller and independent retailers, are providing a take-back service for empties, refunding the deposit in its entirety. Nearly 1,900 reverse vending machines have been installed in shops across the country, allowing customers to return empties and receive a voucher equivalent to their deposit. Smaller shops may accept containers over the counter and manually issue a voucher.

Environmental advocates have enthusiastically embraced the scheme as a means to recover the 40% of drinks containers, amounting to 600 million annually, that currently go unrecycled and end up either incinerated or landfilled. VOICE Ireland announced on Wednesday the conclusion of their “Return for Change” campaign, expressing satisfaction that after 21 years of advocacy, a deposit return scheme is now a reality. They applauded all those who signed petitions and advocated for this positive development.

Friends of the Earth echoed a similar sentiment, with spokeswoman Claudia Tormey stating, “The Deposit Return Scheme coming to a shop near you is a real sign that campaigning for environmental actions works.” Minister of State responsible for the circular economy, Ossian Smyth, expressed confidence in the success of the scheme.