Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme Hits Major Milestone Of 1.2 Billion Containers Returned

The Republic of Ireland has now seen more than 1.2 billion containers returned since the launch of their Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) over a year ago, in February 2024.

Consumers have reportedly responded very well to the scheme and the IT support, provided by Senseono, has enabled DMO Re-turn to manage the DRS effectively, by streamlining data tracking and system management.

The country hopes the success of their DRS provides a blueprint for the other UK administrations and shows how well the system can work for improving single-use packaging collection rates.

The in-scope containers for Ireland’s DRS are PET plastic bottles and aluminium cans, ranging from 150ml to 3L. A deposit of 15 cents is charged on containers between 150ml and 500ml, and in-scope containers above 500ml are charged at 25 cents.

Click here to read more on the scheme.