Since its inception on February 1st, Re-turn, Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme, has gathered over 5.6 million drink containers; in the first ten days of March, returns of over 3.6 million drink containers were recorded.

Currently, there are more than 2,300 reverse vending machines in use around the nation.

“We are delighted with the number of plastic bottles and cans being returned by consumers nationwide and it really shows the support for this initiative,” Re-turn CEO Ciaran Foley continued:


“From gathering thousands of bottles every day to returning hundreds of thousands, we have come a long way. It's evident that our initiatives to promote recycling and aid Ireland's environmental objectives are having an impact.”

The programme has drawn criticism, with some claiming those who do not save a lot of bottles would not benefit from the favourable results.