Galway is currently the best-performing county per capita in Connacht for plastic bottles and can returns. Re-turn, the operator of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS ), is celebrating the milestone of 1 billion drinks containers returned by the Irish public. This milestone shows the number of bottles and cans now returned would be enough to circle the globe 4.7 times.
Daily return numbers continue to grow from thousands in February 2024, to now reaching over five million a day on several occasions, one year on from the launch of the Scheme.
Since Return for Children launched in June, drinks containers have been donated to the initiative at public events, raising €90,000 to date. Return for Children was created to support six national children’s charities, Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack and Jill, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland. Collectively, these six charities support over 165,000 vulnerable and seriously ill children across Ireland.
As a circular economy initiative, Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme is a not-for-profit organisation tasked with achieving EU recycling targets and the move away from the ‘take, make and dispose’ culture to one of returning valuable materials and keeping them in the economy for as long as possible.
Through the Deposit Return Scheme, aluminium cans can be recycled infinitely while PET plastic bottles can be recycled multiple times, reducing the need for the use of virgin materials. By returning drinks containers, consumers are contributing to a sustainable future and guaranteeing that materials are recycled into new drinks containers.?
Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn, said the support that the people of Galway have shown for the Deposit Return Scheme over the past year has been incredible.
"Their commitment to responsible recycling has played a vital role in ensuring that plastic bottles and cans are being recycled efficiently and sustainably. This event is a fantastic opportunity to express our gratitude to the community for their dedication and efforts in making the first year of the Scheme a resounding success," he said.
