Re-turn has numbers of bottles ending up binned - but isn't telling minister

EXCLUSIVE: The company behind the Deposit Return Scheme has been getting key figures from retailers since May, but is refusing to publish them because they 'wouldn't be an accurate measure of our performance'

The company behind the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is now collecting data that allows it to estimate the number of containers ending up in the bin instead of reverse vending machines – but it’s refusing to make the information public.

Even the minister responsible for the scheme is being kept in the dark about the new data from retailers and producers, which provides an insight into the amount of uncollected deposits being retained by the private firm for the first time.

Re-turn is now receiving information on the number of bottles and cans entering circulation each month, allowing it to compare this to the number being returned through reverse vending machines.

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It has been estimated that as many as one in four containers are not being returned, and Dublin City Council and Irish Rail have had to take action to prevent people from rummaging in bins to retrieve bottles and cans that have been thrown away.

However, the company has refused to publish the data that it has been collecting since May on the basis that “it [would] be premature to draw definitive conclusions from early figures”.

In a briefing note last June, Minister Ossian Smyth was told that it was necessary for the data capture system to “mature”, as this would ensure that “the metrics we eventually use to measure our performance are both accurate and reliable”.

Weekly updates provided to Mr Smyth by Re-turn – which feature details including the number of vouchers dispensed, the number of separate barcodes scanned, and the average payout per transaction – make no reference to the new data.

Asked by the Irish Mirror why the information from retailers and producers was not being shared with the minister, a spokesman for Re-turn said: “The DRS was introduced on February 1, 2024. Since then, over 500 million drinks containers have been returned to various return points across the country.

“Re-turn is in continuous engagement with the minister and the department regarding the scheme’s progress.”

Refusing to publish the data, he said it would be provided “once it is deemed an accurate measure of return rates”.

The refusal has raised further concerns about the transparency of the scheme, with Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore calling for the issue to be addressed “urgently”.

“It is essential that Re-turn are upfront with the public as to the amount of revenue they are accruing through the non-return of containers,” she said.

“This is, after all, public money. And there is a high chance that it could be a very significant amount of money, running into the tens of millions.

“When I raised this issue with the minister previously, he assured me that his department was monitoring all operations by Re-turn closely and that they are transparent in their dealings – this is clearly not the case if they are refusing to provide even the most basic details to the minister and the public.

“This is a cause for concern and needs to be addressed urgently,” said Ms Whitmore.

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