Earlier this year the Irish Deposit Return Scheme was introduced into supermarkets and shops in Ireland.
Here's a receipt from the machines on one of our latest shopping trips:
There are 13 EU countries participating in the Deposit Return Scheme. It's a pity that the UK chose Brexit and they could have participated in the re cycling scheme.
I wish someone would invent a machine for pet food cans, cooking oil plastic bottles and glass bottles.
Do you think there should be a Deposit Return Scheme introduced in other countries like the UK and the USA?
It would be good. Nothing like that here, in fact our esteemed authorities have just stopped the paper recycling facility as they say it is now too expensive to ship it across to the UK for processing.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit cynical at first about being dictated to take your empties back to the supermarket JayCee. But now it's a routine and if you want your money back you return them. I am sure a lot of paper could be recycled or shredded and used for animal bedding or composting. I burn paper in the stove and compost cardboard minus the Sellotape. I suppose the supermarkets will be getting a lot of money for the aluminium tins? We don't live near any bottle/ cans banks so it's easier to take them to the supermarket most days. We like fresh bread and have a walk round the store.
DeleteSellotape=cellotape= not plastic...but all the other tapes are plastic, yes, to be removed
DeleteYes you are right GZ. I just Googled it. Made from cellulose which we find in plants. I should have said: "Sticky back plastic" like Valerie use to say on Blue Peter. Thanks for the correction.
DeleteWe put our cleaned pet food cans in recycling, always getting cans when we can rather than pouches, we take glass bottle to the bottle bank in our village. That's an awesome scheme as all our flavoured mineral water comes in plastic bottles.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Marlene. We take our pet food and food tins to the recycling centre or town bottle /can banks. The Return Scheme is very good and the infrastructure installation and machinery must have been a big investment. Yet all the supermarkets partake in the recycling scheme.
ReplyDeleteThere should be a deposit return system here. I'd use it all the time. Win win .
ReplyDeleteYes it's a great system Linda. If only we could recycle or return most of our packaging and get a deposit back in the process?
ReplyDeleteMemories of taking Ribena bottles back....yes there should be a deposit scheme
ReplyDeleteI do so wish UK would do something to discourage the amount of potentially recyclable stuff thrown on roadside. I used to collect about 5 or 6 kilograms of aluminium cans per month from parks and roadside (to contribute to a fund raiser for Hants and IoW Air Ambulance). Good for HIOWAA I guess but bad for our nature as can were not the only drink packaging discarded our the windows of passing cars.
ReplyDeleteYes good points TM. It needs to start with the packaging. A lot of the plastic is made so that fork lift trucks can load the stuff. I see lots of plastic on the beaches. It's probably come from every where near and far. It would be good to see litter bins to.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your question, the answer is definitely YES. There should have been such schemes for many years but personally, I do not want the deposit money. I would rather see it go to worthwhile charities. I wonder what the carbon footprint is of all the technology, admin and pick-up arrangements for the deposit scheme.
ReplyDeleteGood points YP. If charities got say a 10p donation if I returned the container I would gladly buy the product and let the charity have my refund. Joseph Holts Ales in Manchester always donated a percentage of the price of a pint to Christie's hospital for cancer research. I think it still does?🤔
DeleteSome states have them here, Dave. Not mine, however. People who struggle are known to take their beverage bottles to New York State which DOES have a deposit. It's illegal, but there is no way to do it, so, it's a nice little 'earner' for people looking to save some money at grocery time. A nickel a bottle adds up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Debby. Governments could easily legislate for these machines to be in every store but they won't. If you look after the pennies they look after the pounds. I think deposit returns schemes are the way to a greener planet.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely yes. But what would they do with the returned plastic? Our local authority collects it for the incinerator which is like burning oil and coal.
ReplyDeleteEven organic farmers drive diesel cars and tractors Tasker. Everything seems to be a contradiction in terms. But I guess we have got to start somewhere? There is supposed to be two hundred years of coal under English soil. I am sure that could be used for fuel and the inpurities removed?
ReplyDeleteHere in the US in states that have deposits on bottles (mine has had them for more than 60 years) you were always able to get your deposit refunded. I hate to disillusion you but while your govt charges you an arm and a leg for it, they don’t really recycle cans, paper etc
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary M. When I was young we would take minerals bottles back to the shops for their deposits. I know a lot of plastic gets incinerated and they seem to want only metals like aluminium not steel.
ReplyDeleteRecycling seems hit and miss across local councils. Our council keeps changing things, from bags to boxes to two-wheeled tall bins. They never collect glass, though, so there are umpteen bottle banks around.
ReplyDeleteYes it seems to differ from place to place. We don't even have a dustbin. The council privatised them and it is up to you to pay for a private refuse service. Clear glass is perfectly natural and it breaks down in land fill sites eventually.
ReplyDelete