Millions of euros unclaimed from Deposit Return Scheme

Millions of euros of customers deposits remain unclaimed from the Deposit Return Scheme three months on since its introduction.

At least one in six bottles or cans have been returned so far in the scheme, figures have indicated.

Since the scheme was introduced on 1 February, the Department of the Environment said over 76 million containers have been returned and more than €13m has been refunded in deposits.

Customers who purchase a can or bottle under the scheme can claim back between 15c and 25c per purchase, depending on the size of the container.

However, the Department of the Environment has refused to give a figure as to what the return rate so far has been, saying it would be premature to do so.

Launching the scheme in November 2022, Minister of State Ossian Smyth said around 1.9 billion bottles and cans are used by consumers every year. That would indicate approximately 475 million bottles and cans have been bought by consumers in the three months since its introduction.

The 76 million bottles and cans returned would represent around 16% of 475 million. It would also mean up to €65m in euros has yet to be claimed by consumers.

However, as there has been a transitional phase in which old stock was still sold, it is not possible to give the definitive rate of return, only that figures show at least 16%, or around one in six bottles and cans have been returned.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications said: “Since the Deposit Return Scheme went live on 1 February, over 76m containers have been returned and more than €13m has been refunded in deposits. Daily return rates are now reaching between 1.6m and 2.1m containers and will continue to rise.

“Data relating to the number of ‘in-scope’ containers placed on the market and deposits paid are being provided by producers and retailers to Re-Turn [the scheme’s operator] currently.

“This is a new obligation on producers and retailers and requires time for Re-Turn to complete the collection, collation and verification process with accuracy.

“Given the open-ended nature of Re-Turn’s liability to redeem deposits, a return rate calculated over a short period will not yield good information as to the scheme’s performance.

“More particularly, while still in the four-month transition period, it would be premature to draw definitive conclusions from any data available.”

In comparison, Denmark’s bottle return scheme had a return rate of 92% last year. This translates to approximately two billion bottles and cans returned annually.

A spokesperson for its Dansk Retursystem said most Danes tend to return bottles and cans one to two times per month if they use a standard reverse vending machine.

The Department of the Environment has said that Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme is performing well in its early stages.

When asked whether the Department of the Environment here had any projections about its rate of return, prior to the scheme being implemented, a spokesperson said: “Projections were informed by the experience of recently launched schemes elsewhere.

“While a robust multi-country dataset is not readily available and individual schemes vary, comparisons suggest Ireland’s DRS is performing well in its early stages.”