The Re-turn bottle and can recycling machines work really well in some places and terribly in others. There are Re-turn machines in relatively close proximity to me, and one of them doesn’t really work well at all.
One outside my local Aldi works grand, never any issues with it since the scheme started. Its in its own purpose built enclosure next to the trolley bays.
The one in the local Tesco never works and is situated right inside the front door of the shop, so when there’s a few people waiting to use it there’s a line blocking everyone entering the shop. I think it was placed there to discourage its use to be honest
The biggest problem I have with it is that all the retailers used it as an excuse to gouge people.
Like the 24 cans of coke that was €14 almost everywhere is now €18 for 18 cans + the €2.70 deposit. This is just one example of many that I noticed.
They saw their chance and ripped us as usual, thinking most people would not notice and just blame it on the return scheme.
Creating more car journeys I reckon, creating a big carbon footprint with those machines and additional transport, creating a nasty stale alcohol smell, creating stress in particular for vulnerable people and making it very hard for small retailers to compete.
60% of the time, it works all the time
I’ll admit it, I’m a nordy so haven’t used them. Just basing my opinion off what I’ve read online, but why do they need to be so convoluted? I lived in Canada where they have a long standing can/bottle return system. You literally just buck all your cans into a bin bag, crushed or not. Bring them to the beer store and tell the guy how many there is and he gives you 5c per can. Glass bottles you put in a black box they provide and they give you 20c per bottle. No idea why these complicated machines are needed
I was already recycling..but now I’ve to keep a separate container in my utility room and drag them to the supermarket..and the supermarkets have clearly used it as an opportunity to gouge, cost of drinks way up since on top of the deposit.
I used it for the first time yesterday. My returns consisted of about 14 club orange cans…. All the same from the one pack and I had 1 x 7up bottle. So I start putting them in, and then one gets chucked back, can’t read the barcode. I check the can and it’s totally fine, no dents, no smudges, barcode is completely clear! Next can, same thing and then a third one…. Then one fell and rolled into the store because a gust of wind came at the moment that it was spat out at me…. I had to chase the can, hoping no-one would hit “print receipt” at that moment while I chased the can around.
Anyway, I kept trying and trying and eventually the machine read all the cans and I got my money but it was finicky, and to be honest, when some cans can’t be read, I need to put them aside while I continue with the other recyclables….. So even a hook for the bag could be handy because I didn’t have enough hands and it was too wet and windy to put it down!
I put the cans in and I got my money back
Personally, machines usually more out of order than working. Stopped using them. Gone back to green bin.
I find it a pain in the arse as I already pay for a recyling service.
Can’t see the logic of it spitting out non recyclable paper and when you use the vouchers(In Supervalu self service anyway) the till is forced to print yet another receipt.
Don’t even start with the sheer greed of retailers pumping up the price even more.
I still see the same amount of cans and bottles discarded in the park next to me and someone can’t even make a few quid picking those up because they’re damaged most of the time.
I’d love to know who got the contract for these machines as the cheapest ones cost 16 grand.
Local scrotes have also taken to putting ball bearings and the likes in cans that damage the already fragile glorifed bar scanner.
But hey they do it in Germany right???
I made a conscious decision to keep putting my stuff in the recycling bin as usual. I don’t think it actually does anything for the environment and my time is worth more than a couple euro an hour.
I’m pretty happy with the decision.
No major issues. So far apart from when I’m returning kids fruit shoot bottles. The machines have awful trouble accepting them. Have to put them in at an angle.
Only issue with it now is the vouchers, would be nice if they could go onto an app and be used anywhere. Like say if I go into Tesco in the evening the customer service is closed as usual, I end up with the voucher in my wallet if I don’t need to buy anything. Minor gripe.
I have two big bags full of cans and bottles in my terrace as every time I want to bring them to te return machine they aren’t working. I go to Lidl, Dealz and Tesco in my town none of them are working . I am running out of space soon.
I’ve had no problem so far. It’s annoying as I would have recycled them anyways (in the main) but if it genuinely does up our rates I’m ok with that. (Big if)
This is the thing that’s going to radicalise me. I’m ready to hurl some bricks through the windows of the Dail. I’m so pi55ed about this. What were they doing with our recycling before? Why did they install all those bottle and cans bins around Dublin City that are now effectively useless? Is there any joined up thinking? It’s a tax grab by our dumb-funk government.
Who has time or space to separate between the recycle bin at home and this other nonsense, never mind actually having to take this crap in your car to get rid of it? Not to mention, those attached lids are a huge pain in the hole to drink with. Since there are none of these bottle machines near me it’s not worth the time or diesel to be arsed. This plan was concocted by someone that doesn’t live in reality.
Whats happens to the money that is not claimed back? Is there a time limit on when I can return my bottle? 3 years from now I can still return it? If so is there a time limit on the voucher I recieve?
Does the company keep any unclaimed money?
I’m not trying to be flippant. You’re entitled to eat and drink what you like, but have all the price increases encouraged you to buy less Coke/Pepsi/Riverrock etc?
It’s a deposit that when returned you get a credit note for that specific shop. So if you’re anywhere but your local town/city you can’t get your money back and have to cart it across the country to return it in your local and get an i.o.u. not your money back…that’s not how a deposit works
The closest one to me is always broken. I’ve taken a bag of bottles in twice and no joy. So I went to the other side of town and popped them in one at a time which is a pain and got a little scrap of paper. Better if it could just credit my card there and then. Got something like 2euro back..not worth the effort. Bough a glass bottle. Tap water from here on in. Problem solved.
Works every time, never had an issue
I’ve had 6 goes at using Re-turn.
First time machines weren’t working. The only bag I had was the one with the empty bottles and I hadnt driven so that was a waste of a walk to the shop.
Second time machine spat out some bottles but then abruptly stopped working mid Re-turn so although I managed to Re-turn all of them after several tries, I ended up with 2 receipts. Forgot to redeem them by the time I got to the till.
Third, fourth and fifth attempts prevented by machines not working. 3 wasted car journeys.
Ran out of space to store them so ended up with 2 big bags of Re-turn bottles on the back seat of the car for a few days until I happened across a working machine.
Eventually, sixth attempt. Machines weren’t working until after I left the shop and again one machine stopped while I was Re-turning so I ended up with 2 more receipts.
So now I’ve got 4 unredeemed receipts, can only use them in one place. Spent over an hour of my life on 6 different trips to Re-turn and I’ve decided to give up because I don’t have the time, space or inclination. Back to using the recycling bin I already pay for.
Stopped buying the products tbh
My experience is that I pay an extra 25c to continue putting these in my recycle bin
I tried to return 2 bottles for the first time a few days ago. Machine just didn’t work. Kept rejecting the bottles even though they had the return logo and were in good condition. Ended up binning them. Complete waste. Why do people pay for recycling bins if they have to drive to a return machine to return the bottles using diesel/petrol actually being more damaging to the environment. Completely brainless and stupid.
Pretty good, throw the cans in my shopping bag, walk to Aldi and deposit, use the voucher at the till for the bits I pickup, no issues yet except I forgot to use the voucher one time.
Shite. Utter shite. And worse, I tried to return bottles at a Supervalu that used to have a perfectly fine functioning bottle vending machine, but its been replaced by these newer return machines. And of course, the bottles don’t go through.
Pointless convoluted nonsense that only further gouges people while making people wonder why green bins are even needed for bottles. Some coalition TD’s friend must be making a mint by having these specific machines chosen to be used nationwide over previously existing ones that worked fine.
In theory I like this but in practice it isn’t working well in my experience. Some reasons being:
-It has caused shops to increase the prices on top of the levy
-the machines, in my local shop at least, are almost always out of service which means its a wasted trip if I bring them
-only 2 machines near me so very lengthy queues most of the time
-the refund is printed on to paper as a voucher for the shop, so not really a proper refund in my opinion
-if you buy a drink while out you need to then find a place to return it and then you’re stuck spending the refund at that shop or alternatively you bring the bottle/can home which isn’t ideal, apparently this is also the case for things bought in the airport too. No machines so the can goes on holidays with you if you want your refund.
– the machine is very temperamental, it often can’t read the barcode even if it’s perfect. It takes a few tries.
-storing the bottles/cans is a bit of a pain with limited space
If there were more machines and the refund could be put onto an app or actually returned as physical cash for those who don’t use smart phones it would be far, far better in my view. Don’t have it tied to shops, have it as it’s own entity like bottle banks and clothes banks. In theory I do like this scheme, but its been badly implemented.
I used to put them in my recycling bin, now I have bags holding them in the kitchen until I find motivation to waste 30min going to a shop hoping to find a machine that works.
31 comments
The Re-turn bottle and can recycling machines work really well in some places and terribly in others. There are Re-turn machines in relatively close proximity to me, and one of them doesn’t really work well at all.
One outside my local Aldi works grand, never any issues with it since the scheme started. Its in its own purpose built enclosure next to the trolley bays.
The one in the local Tesco never works and is situated right inside the front door of the shop, so when there’s a few people waiting to use it there’s a line blocking everyone entering the shop. I think it was placed there to discourage its use to be honest
The biggest problem I have with it is that all the retailers used it as an excuse to gouge people.
Like the 24 cans of coke that was €14 almost everywhere is now €18 for 18 cans + the €2.70 deposit. This is just one example of many that I noticed.
They saw their chance and ripped us as usual, thinking most people would not notice and just blame it on the return scheme.
Creating more car journeys I reckon, creating a big carbon footprint with those machines and additional transport, creating a nasty stale alcohol smell, creating stress in particular for vulnerable people and making it very hard for small retailers to compete.
60% of the time, it works all the time
I’ll admit it, I’m a nordy so haven’t used them. Just basing my opinion off what I’ve read online, but why do they need to be so convoluted? I lived in Canada where they have a long standing can/bottle return system. You literally just buck all your cans into a bin bag, crushed or not. Bring them to the beer store and tell the guy how many there is and he gives you 5c per can. Glass bottles you put in a black box they provide and they give you 20c per bottle. No idea why these complicated machines are needed
I was already recycling..but now I’ve to keep a separate container in my utility room and drag them to the supermarket..and the supermarkets have clearly used it as an opportunity to gouge, cost of drinks way up since on top of the deposit.
I used it for the first time yesterday. My returns consisted of about 14 club orange cans…. All the same from the one pack and I had 1 x 7up bottle. So I start putting them in, and then one gets chucked back, can’t read the barcode. I check the can and it’s totally fine, no dents, no smudges, barcode is completely clear! Next can, same thing and then a third one…. Then one fell and rolled into the store because a gust of wind came at the moment that it was spat out at me…. I had to chase the can, hoping no-one would hit “print receipt” at that moment while I chased the can around.
Anyway, I kept trying and trying and eventually the machine read all the cans and I got my money but it was finicky, and to be honest, when some cans can’t be read, I need to put them aside while I continue with the other recyclables….. So even a hook for the bag could be handy because I didn’t have enough hands and it was too wet and windy to put it down!
I put the cans in and I got my money back
Personally, machines usually more out of order than working. Stopped using them. Gone back to green bin.
I find it a pain in the arse as I already pay for a recyling service.
Can’t see the logic of it spitting out non recyclable paper and when you use the vouchers(In Supervalu self service anyway) the till is forced to print yet another receipt.
Don’t even start with the sheer greed of retailers pumping up the price even more.
I still see the same amount of cans and bottles discarded in the park next to me and someone can’t even make a few quid picking those up because they’re damaged most of the time.
I’d love to know who got the contract for these machines as the cheapest ones cost 16 grand.
Local scrotes have also taken to putting ball bearings and the likes in cans that damage the already fragile glorifed bar scanner.
But hey they do it in Germany right???
I made a conscious decision to keep putting my stuff in the recycling bin as usual. I don’t think it actually does anything for the environment and my time is worth more than a couple euro an hour.
I’m pretty happy with the decision.
No major issues. So far apart from when I’m returning kids fruit shoot bottles. The machines have awful trouble accepting them. Have to put them in at an angle.
Only issue with it now is the vouchers, would be nice if they could go onto an app and be used anywhere. Like say if I go into Tesco in the evening the customer service is closed as usual, I end up with the voucher in my wallet if I don’t need to buy anything. Minor gripe.
I have two big bags full of cans and bottles in my terrace as every time I want to bring them to te return machine they aren’t working. I go to Lidl, Dealz and Tesco in my town none of them are working . I am running out of space soon.
I’ve had no problem so far. It’s annoying as I would have recycled them anyways (in the main) but if it genuinely does up our rates I’m ok with that. (Big if)
This is the thing that’s going to radicalise me. I’m ready to hurl some bricks through the windows of the Dail. I’m so pi55ed about this. What were they doing with our recycling before? Why did they install all those bottle and cans bins around Dublin City that are now effectively useless? Is there any joined up thinking? It’s a tax grab by our dumb-funk government.
Who has time or space to separate between the recycle bin at home and this other nonsense, never mind actually having to take this crap in your car to get rid of it? Not to mention, those attached lids are a huge pain in the hole to drink with. Since there are none of these bottle machines near me it’s not worth the time or diesel to be arsed. This plan was concocted by someone that doesn’t live in reality.
Whats happens to the money that is not claimed back? Is there a time limit on when I can return my bottle? 3 years from now I can still return it? If so is there a time limit on the voucher I recieve?
Does the company keep any unclaimed money?
I’m not trying to be flippant. You’re entitled to eat and drink what you like, but have all the price increases encouraged you to buy less Coke/Pepsi/Riverrock etc?
It’s a deposit that when returned you get a credit note for that specific shop. So if you’re anywhere but your local town/city you can’t get your money back and have to cart it across the country to return it in your local and get an i.o.u. not your money back…that’s not how a deposit works
The closest one to me is always broken. I’ve taken a bag of bottles in twice and no joy. So I went to the other side of town and popped them in one at a time which is a pain and got a little scrap of paper. Better if it could just credit my card there and then. Got something like 2euro back..not worth the effort. Bough a glass bottle. Tap water from here on in. Problem solved.
Works every time, never had an issue
I’ve had 6 goes at using Re-turn.
First time machines weren’t working. The only bag I had was the one with the empty bottles and I hadnt driven so that was a waste of a walk to the shop.
Second time machine spat out some bottles but then abruptly stopped working mid Re-turn so although I managed to Re-turn all of them after several tries, I ended up with 2 receipts. Forgot to redeem them by the time I got to the till.
Third, fourth and fifth attempts prevented by machines not working. 3 wasted car journeys.
Ran out of space to store them so ended up with 2 big bags of Re-turn bottles on the back seat of the car for a few days until I happened across a working machine.
Eventually, sixth attempt. Machines weren’t working until after I left the shop and again one machine stopped while I was Re-turning so I ended up with 2 more receipts.
So now I’ve got 4 unredeemed receipts, can only use them in one place. Spent over an hour of my life on 6 different trips to Re-turn and I’ve decided to give up because I don’t have the time, space or inclination. Back to using the recycling bin I already pay for.
Stopped buying the products tbh
My experience is that I pay an extra 25c to continue putting these in my recycle bin
I tried to return 2 bottles for the first time a few days ago. Machine just didn’t work. Kept rejecting the bottles even though they had the return logo and were in good condition. Ended up binning them. Complete waste. Why do people pay for recycling bins if they have to drive to a return machine to return the bottles using diesel/petrol actually being more damaging to the environment. Completely brainless and stupid.
Pretty good, throw the cans in my shopping bag, walk to Aldi and deposit, use the voucher at the till for the bits I pickup, no issues yet except I forgot to use the voucher one time.
Shite. Utter shite. And worse, I tried to return bottles at a Supervalu that used to have a perfectly fine functioning bottle vending machine, but its been replaced by these newer return machines. And of course, the bottles don’t go through.
Pointless convoluted nonsense that only further gouges people while making people wonder why green bins are even needed for bottles. Some coalition TD’s friend must be making a mint by having these specific machines chosen to be used nationwide over previously existing ones that worked fine.
In theory I like this but in practice it isn’t working well in my experience. Some reasons being:
-It has caused shops to increase the prices on top of the levy
-the machines, in my local shop at least, are almost always out of service which means its a wasted trip if I bring them
-only 2 machines near me so very lengthy queues most of the time
-the refund is printed on to paper as a voucher for the shop, so not really a proper refund in my opinion
-if you buy a drink while out you need to then find a place to return it and then you’re stuck spending the refund at that shop or alternatively you bring the bottle/can home which isn’t ideal, apparently this is also the case for things bought in the airport too. No machines so the can goes on holidays with you if you want your refund.
– the machine is very temperamental, it often can’t read the barcode even if it’s perfect. It takes a few tries.
-storing the bottles/cans is a bit of a pain with limited space
If there were more machines and the refund could be put onto an app or actually returned as physical cash for those who don’t use smart phones it would be far, far better in my view. Don’t have it tied to shops, have it as it’s own entity like bottle banks and clothes banks. In theory I do like this scheme, but its been badly implemented.
I used to put them in my recycling bin, now I have bags holding them in the kitchen until I find motivation to waste 30min going to a shop hoping to find a machine that works.