In February, the deposit return programme spearheaded by Re-Turn was set in motion. Despite current consumer complaints such as absent symbols on products and dysfunctioning bottle return machines anticipated to be remedied in the coming weeks, the scheme remains in a transitionary stage.
CEO Ciaran Foley concurs that the programme, which necessitates attaching a deposit of 15-25 cents to plastic flasks and select cans sold at convenience stores, is still encountering minor difficulties. Nevertheless, he expressed overall contentment with its progress.
Foley proclaimed, “We didn’t preconceive the transition phase to be without troubles. It was always clear there will be hurdles, and I’ve relayed that extensively. We hadn’t anticipated a perfect system from day one, so we request users to keep faith during this period.”
Despite a few problems, Foley ascertained that the initiative had a promising commencement, with the returns increasing from 2 million containers in February to an impressive 20 million in March, while anticipating 50 million for April.
Foley revealed that starting from last month, producers were not allowed to offer containers non-inclusive in the scheme. Further, he stated that starting 1st June, every product available in stores would bear the Re-Turn symbol.
The CEO noted that the return vending machines are presently working at 86 per cent efficiency, emphasising that the goal was to reach the European average of 90-95 per cent.
Retailers were still acclimatising to the bottle return system, Foley added. Learning the intervals of emptying the return bins and machine maintenance took time. He clarified, “It is incorrect to place blame on anyone; everyone is learning simultaneously, although we recognised the mechanical issues some suppliers had and those are being rectified.”
As per Foley, the vending machines are on 86 per cent operating time currently, reiterating that complete efficiency is quite unrealistic, but the European average is achievable.
It was conceded that there have been instances where machines fail which is problematic as the initiative aims to garner consumer goodwill and confidence. Subsequently, report exclaimed, “I devoted an hour and a half in an attempt to return bottles to a highly problematic system.”
“However, the initial hitches are gradually disappearing and will be a thing of the past as we navigate through the transitional phase.
“As of now, most of our consumers will have a positive interaction with these recycling automations; we acknowledge there are a few outstanding problems which we aim to address; and in the coming weeks, such issues will be completely resolved due to our dedication and determination. We processed 2.1 million units just last Saturday in 700,000 transactions. These 700,000 instances were both successful and seamless.”
It was conveyed that Re-Turn has “more tasks to accomplish to convince the public against mixing dry recyclables” and he also exhibited the benefits of the remodelled system, which included a purer form of plastic and aluminium can recycling and an enlarged volume centrally collected that would aid the construction of a specialised recycling facility in Ireland.