| Name | Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, As Part of The Single Use Plastics Directive (2021) |
| Date Implemented | Planned for February 1, 2024 [1] |
| Regulations | Separate Collection Regulations 2021, SI 599 of 2021 |
| Containers Covered |
Any beverage containers between 150 ml - 3L made of the following materials?:
|
| Containers Not Covered | Any glass beverage container |
| Beverages Not Covered | Milk or dairy products |
| Amount of Deposit | Beverage containers ≥150mL and ≤500 mL: 15¢ EUR Beverage containers >500 mL: 25¢ EUR |
| Unclaimed Deposits | Kept by system administrators to fund the redemption scheme |
| Handling Fee |
|
| Other Fees |
As of January 2024: Producers pay a "producer fee" for the operational costs of the system administrators, Re-turn, based on material type: [3]
Producers must also pay a flat product registration fee (either annually or by product placement volume) and an international barcode surcharge per container if they opt out of the National Barcode (see details section below):
Table provided to producers by Re-turn, September 2023. |
| Redemption System | Return to retail (manual collection and Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs)) |
Details
In 2020, Ireland released the "Waste Plan for A Circular Economy", a planned commitment and implementation of a deposit return scheme (DRS), as part of a greater directive to reduce plastics use, with an initial introduction in Q3 of 2022. [4] The Public Consultation on Design Options began on October 2, 2020, ending on November 12, 2020. Both stakeholders and the general public could make their suggestions on how the scheme should operate. The study before this consultation proposed a deposit fee of €0.20, and the consultation considered if this amount would be appropriate. Other questions included whether the government should operate a decentralized or hybrid DRS and what role should waste collectors play in the DRS. [5]
In November 2021, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications signed legislative regulations to introduce the deposit return scheme in Ireland on February 1, 2024. Deposit Scheme Ireland CLG (DRSI CLG), known as Re-turn, will manage the DRS as the system administrator. Under the Single Use Plastics Directive, Ireland has a redemption rate goal of 77% by 2025 and 90% in 2029.
Ireland requires all beverage container producers to register with Re-turn and the deposit return scheme. As well, producers must put a "National Barcode" on all covered beverage containers that is unique to the Republic of Ireland, in an effort to reduce cross-country fraud. Producers may keep an existing "international" barcode on eligible beverage containers but are subject to a surcharge per container to cover the fraud risk. [6]
The deposit can be redeemed by consumers or donated to charity. Consumers who deposit their containers by Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) will receive a voucher to redeem at retail stores. Stores under 250 sq. meters are exempt from accepting containers, but must still be registered with Re-turn.
Footnotes
[1] Re-turn Consumer’s FAQ. Re-turn. December 7, 2021.
[2] "Ireland's New Deposit Return Scheme: Update." Re-turn. January 16, 2023.
[3] "Ireland's New Deposit Return Scheme: Producer Fees." Re-turn. September 29, 2023.
[4] A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy: Ireland’s National Waste Policy 2020-2025. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, September 4, 2020.
[5] Deposit Return Scheme Consultation Document on Potential Models for Ireland. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, October 2, 2020.
[6] "Technical Specifications & Labelling Manual For PET Bottles, Aluminium and Steel Drinks Containers." Re-turn. April 2023.
Last Updated on January 5, 2024.