Monday 11 February 2019

Ireland mulls bottle deposit return scheme to cap plastic waste

The Irish Government is considering introducing a deposit return scheme for single-use plastic bottles.

It is part of the government’s review into exploring how best Ireland could deliver a 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029.

It has also committed to increasing overall plastic recycling rate to 55% by 2030.

Deposit return schemes add a small extra cost to the price of a drink, which is then refunded to the customer when they take it back to be recycled.

The review will look into the existing waste collection system in Ireland for beverage containers that could be included as part the deposit return scheme, with a cost benefit analysis, the level of deposit as well as international best practice in the area.

Richard Burton, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment said: “On average, every person generates approximately 58kg of plastic waste per year. plastic waste makes a major contribution to the chronic problem of pollution, damaging our cities, countryside and oceans.

“If we are serious about making Ireland a leader in responding to climate change, we must tackle our plastic waste. We must stretch ourselves and commit to more ambitious plastic collection targets, if we are to put ourselves on a more sustainable path.”