95% plan to engage with Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme
New Amárach research shows 73% believe placing a monetary value on drinks containers will incentivise consumers to move away from throwaway culture
Print25 January 2024
Re-turn, Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme goes live on 1 February 2024. From this date onwards, when consumers purchase a drink in a plastic bottle or aluminium can that features the Re-turn logo, they will pay a fully refundable deposit in addition to the price of the drink.
A deposit of 15 cents will apply to drinks containers from 150ml to 500mls and a deposit of 25 cents will apply for containers over 500ml to 3 litres.
New Amárach research has revealed that 82% of consumers support the introduction of the deposit return scheme and 95% of consumers plan to engage with the circular economy initiative.
94% of those surveyed consider the impact their recycling behaviour will have on future generations at some level and 82% state that the deposit placed on drink containers will incentivise them to return empty drinks containers to participating retailers nationwide.
Over three-quarters of consumers (76%) believe as individuals they can make a difference to the environment by recycling drinks containers, and they mainly believe they can do this by recycling and reusing more.
Behavioural change
“The positive feedback on the introduction of deposit return has been really encouraging,” said Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn. “We appreciate that this is a big behavioural change and are delighted to see that we have such support.”
The EU has set Ireland a target to separate and collect 77% of plastic beverage bottles by 2025. This target will rise to 90% in 2029. Ireland currently recycles approximately 60% of drinks containers and a Deposit Return scheme has been a proven method of increasing recycling rates in several other European countries.
Consumer motivations
Almost two-thirds of the population (65%) are concerned that too many drinks containers are used in Ireland, and nearly three in four adults and 73% of those surveyed believe that placing a monetary value on drinks containers will incentivise consumers to move away from a throwaway culture to one that returns valuable materials.
When asked for their main reason for why the introduction of the DRS is a good idea, almost half of consumers (48%) believe the Deposit Return Scheme will encourage or incentivise recycling while a third (33%) believe it will reduce waste or litter.
38% of the population believe that the introduction of a deposit on drinks containers will impact their purchasing of plastic bottles and aluminium cans going forward.
Practical details of scheme
Over 9 in 10 (91%) consumers typically buy groceries in supermarkets, with 81% travelling by car to do their shopping. When asked how they plan to return the empty undamaged drinks containers, 41% of consumers state they plan to return drinks containers to retailers via bulk return at intervals (41%). 39% state they plan to return them whenever they do their shopping. 11% will return drinks containers at random.
Nearly three-quarters (70%) of consumers state that they would prefer to return drinks containers to retailers via a Reverse Vending Machine.
When asked how consumers will typically use their redeemed deposits, just under half (49%) of the population state that they will use it against store purchases. 40% said their preference will be for a full cash refund.
Consumers can find their nearest deposit return point by viewing the deposit return point map on the Re-turn website.
Re-turn has created an FAQ page on the website for any questions which consumers may have, and they are strongly encouraged to reach out to info@re-turn.ie if they have any further queries.
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