Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2025
167. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the total revenue generated from unclaimed deposits under the return scheme to date; the means by which these funds have been utilised or invested; and whether he intends to require that unredeemed deposits be returned to the Exchequer or reinvested directly in environmental infrastructure. [56367/25]
View answerThe Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has been introduced to encourage more people to recycle plastic bottles and cans and to deliver on our ambitious EU targets for the recycling of those products.
Re-turn always encourages consumers to redeem their deposits and it is important that the public is aware that Re-turn retains an open-ended liability to refund deposits to consumers, regardless of when or where the product was purchased.
On 25 July 2025, Re-turn published its 2024 annual report and a link to the report can be found here: [www.re-turn.ie/re-turn-2024-annual-report/].
In the report, Re-turn declared that €66.7m in unredeemed deposits were on hands in respect of 2024, before VAT at 23%. Unredeemed deposits are available to the not-for-profit company and may be used to invest in the scheme. It should be noted that the Ministerial Approval requires Re-turn to build a Contingency Fund of €50m. In its Annual Report, Re-turn has set out its approach to management of the unredeemed deposits. As the return rate improves, unredeemed deposits are reducing in parallel. For the first 6 months of 2025, Re-turn reported to the Department the accrual of a further €26.4m in unredeemed deposits before VAT at 23%.
As with other DRS schemes, unredeemed deposits are retained by the operator and are reinvested in the development of the scheme. In its Annual Report, Re-turn has outlined how it intends to invest the funds in a range of measures to promote and improve collection rates including:
• Improving Reverse Vending Machine coverage and optimising convenience for consumers
• Enhancing accessibility to maximise the scheme for all users
• Introducing larger, bulk-fed machines enabling quicker, higher volume returns
• Communications and awareness, supporting the consumer’s understanding of DRS and the benefits of a separate collection for these materials
• Recycling infrastructure development
