Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 April 2026
478. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Minister the way in which he plans to address the anomaly in locations, including Dublin Airport, where recycling cans and plastics under the deposit return scheme is not that practical or even possible; the reason consumers should have to pay the levy in these circumstances; and what happens to the excess unreturned deposit. [25903/26]
View answerThe Deposit Return Scheme was established to run primarily on a return-to-retail model, where consumers bring empty containers back to a retailer to recoup their deposit. There are currently over 3,800 return points, about 75% of which are Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), providing a high level of coverage across the country. To date, over 2.64 billion containers have been returned through retail collection points.
Re-turn has advised that maximising the availability of RVMs across the country is a business priority. Re-turn has supported the rollout of RVMs through a grant programme for retailers, where a condition of grant payment includes a requirement to meet minimum RVM availability times. The company has published a coverage map on the Re-turn website, which helps direct consumers to the location of their nearest return point and supports ongoing rollout planning. The coverage map can be found under the "Where to Return" section at the following link: https://re-turn.ie/.
There are currently three Deposit Return Points in Dublin Airport where consumers can return their drink containers and get their deposits back. All three are manual return points as opposed to Reverse Vending Machines and all three return points are air-side, i.e. beyond the security checkpoints in the airport.
Re-turn has also advised that they are currently engaging with Dublin Airport and are keen to support the introduction of RVM technology at the airport.
Regarding unredeemed deposits, I refer the Deputy to the reply to questions numbered 382, 383 and 384 of 13 January 2026. The position on unredeemed deposits remains unchanged. Re-turn's next annual report and financial statements, due mid-year, will contain final and audited figures for unredeemed deposits for 2025.
