The Irish Times: Deposit return scheme: Deposit return scheme: ‘I spent 90 minutes trying to return bottles. This scheme is vile’
by Pickaroonie
The Irish Times: Deposit return scheme: Deposit return scheme: ‘I spent 90 minutes trying to return bottles. This scheme is vile’
by Pickaroonie
33 comments
This was readable to me, it may be paywalled for you. Apologies.
I thought the headline was interesting to post, given the amount of users that have similar issues trying to return containers..
Deposit returns are a good idea, I get that people don’t understand why it’s better than your green bin and the communication on that has been poor. The message hasn’t been getting through that mixed recycling is much less efficient than we need to be.
However, the scheme has a really serious design flaw. This scheme works really well in Germany, including with reverse vending machines.
The different though is that in Germany shops are **required to accept returns manually.** Most of them have reverse vending machines now too – but unlike here if those machines are broken the shop has to manually accept the returns and process a refund.
That small change could make the scheme much more effective here. Firstly it would resolve much of the issue for the person in this article – being able to return them manually would remove most of this faffing about. Secondly, it makes it important for the shop to ensure that the machines remain functioning and are fixed quickly when there are problems, either locally or by the providers. Currently I don’t see where the incentive is for staff to keep the machines running – and that’s clear in this article where one member of staff tried to fob the woman off. If they had to instead accept returns manually that additional work would make it a priority to make sure the machines aren’t out of order – and put pressure in turn on the providers of the machines.
>“She is recently retired and solely reliant on a State pension and, at the current rates, the deposit return scheme will cost my mother 2 per cent of her annual income, which she cannot afford to forgo, so I will return the bottles for her,”
What does that work out as, about 1,200 large plastic bottles per year? Not implausible since the woman’s tap water isn’t drinkable.
Aluminium cans should never have been included in the return scheme. Recycling rates for cans are already very high and getting them dirty doesn’t have any impact on recycling
Personally, I have found very little issue with them.
I’ve bought 5 or 6 shopping bags of bottles and cans back and I’ve had maybe 4 or 5 bottles rejected completely since the scheme has come in.
Where I bring them, the machines are usually operational, only once have I went and both receptacles were out of order.
I saw a man sucked into one of the machines and then the machine sprayed blood onto people standing nearby. People were soaked in blood and were slipping on the floor, but they continued to insert bottles…..
I’ve had no issues yet, based on limited interaction, but I know many people have
My issue with this article is that it takes someone with a very specific set of physical circumstances and her daughter with further very specific circumstances and implies the entire system is not fit for purpose as a result
If anything, you could read this more as a criticism of how Lidl applies the scheme rather than the scheme itself
Some extremely odd stuff in that article. Deposits 2% of someones income – how much are they spending on the water in that case? Nurse all their life and only has a state pension? 90 mins to do a return?
Sounds like someone putting in a shaggy dog story with as many ridiculous elements as they can.
Still haven’t received a satisfactory answer as to who is keeping the 180 million euro a year in unclaimed deposits.
A scheme put in place by the government that’s banjaxed from the get-go. Who’d have thought it?
We can just recycle our bottles in the recycling bins we have at home, without the price hike. Not a fan of the scheme myself
I drove to 3 places to finally get my returns done. The first two places had people in front of me with shopping bags full or cans and at both places the machines died before I got mine done. I took a punt on an Aldi at the far end of the town and was lucky it wasn’t busy. Its a joke
In theory the scheme is a good idea.
But in practice it is so bad. The shops are fully responsible for maintaining the machines and they don’t seem to be able to do it (or don’t particularly want to).
If we weren’t all being absolutely screwed on price as soon as the scheme was introduced it might be accepted better but it is comically shit and a rip off.
I’m genuinely lost on how the scheme and designs made it through several government departments and not one person looked at them and said “how does someone in a wheelchair use this?”. Any machine I’ve used so far has had the receptacle and screen at eye level so there’s little chance someone in wheelchair can use them with ease.
I think the big flaw is that you don’t actually get your money back. Just a voucher for the shop. So if you are not buying anything that day you end up with just a pile of receipts stuck to the fridge and never bring them to get 1.50 off your next 200 euro weekly shop.
Pay wall is both pay and wall.
I believe this is what the young people call a skill issue.
I have had no issues with them. They are used in other countries like Germany too, we aren’t the first country in the world to do it.
Some people I’ve seen complaining about them in general are just moaning or giving about the greens.
Vile 😂
I call for an inquiry, mistakes made, lessons learned, no one person to blame.
I have yet to try to use a machine and it not work for me. Maybe they’re better maintained in Dublin?
I don’t know why it stops at just drinks bottles. What about shampoo, body wash, detergent bottles. They’re all plastic too. It seems to be a half assed measure just to line someone’s pockets.
Irish media really hates the deposit return scheme.
As someone who megaloaths it. How can you spend 90 minutes returning bottles
I’ve used the station at my local Aldi twice so far. Worked flawlessly maybe I’m lucky maybe it depends on the store?
I go to my local Lidi, maybe once a week, to return items and have never encountered any issues.
Already pay a levy on the green bin. Green bin already took these.
It’s a scam. Just more taxes.
What annoys me most is that everything with the R symbol went up by 50 cents, so how is getting 15 cents back actually worth it?
Only issue I had recently was the machine was full, luckily this was a big dunnes so had two others. Is it the shops responsibility to empty the machines or do they need to wait for the owners of the machines to come and clear them out?
I haven’t been home in months but will be around next weekend so I must ask a silly question or two. Is the deposit mandatory or can i just ask for it to be taken off? Is it every shop, or just big supermarket chains that do it?
Ive been very in the dark about this.
This seems like an outrageous click bait article.
I love how plastic is such a problem that its our responsibility to clean up a neverending torrent of it but not such a problem that they can’t stop making it