SINCE its launch on February 1 this year, two retailers in Limerick have confirmed a significant uptake in the deposit return scheme (DRS).
SuperValu and Centra stores across Limerick have said that a combined five million bottles and cans have been returned to their stores since the DRS was introduced earlier this year.
Nationally, 125million drinks containers have been returned to SuperValu and Centra stores since the introduction of the scheme.
30 reverse vending machines have been installed in Centra and SuperValu stores across Limerick, marking a €28million investment as part of the initiative, which aims to encourage more people to recycle their plastic bottles and cans.
Public engagement with the scheme has soared in recent months, the Irish retailer has said, with more than 91 million containers being returned in June alone across the country.
Luke Hanlon, managing director of SuperValu and Centra, said that the high return numbers show that their customers are responding well to the scheme.
“As a result of offering the largest number of reverse vending machines in convenient locations across every county in Ireland, we are delighted to see such a high level of interaction from our customers in Limerick with the deposit return scheme in our stores, with over five million containers returned in total since its introduction in February,” he said.
Mr Hanlon added that “this is a testament to our loyal customers embracing the scheme, which benefits not only them but also the wider environment”.
“Our data indicates that since June over 95 per cent of eligible cans and bottles we sell have been returned through our reverse vending machines nationwide. This is a significant increase in the average nationwide recycle rate for these items, which was estimated at 60 per cent to 70 per cent before the scheme’s introduction.”
