— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Ireland marked the first anniversary of the introduction of its deposit return scheme (DRS) in February with the return of its billionth container. With a population of around 5.3 mn, this indicates that each citizen handed back an average of 188 containers over the past 12 months.

Items that can be returned under Ireland’s DRS include PET plastic bottles and aluminium cans ranging from 150 ml to 3 l. A deposit of EUR 0.15 applies to containers between 150 ml and 500 ml, while a deposit of EUR 0.25 applies to containers over 500 ml and up to 3 l.

Containers bearing the Re-Turn logo are eligible for return under the scheme. However, glass receptacles, all dairy containers (such as those for milk or yogurt), and any containers larger than 3 l are excluded.

Related: Public support grows for Irish DRS

Ireland, which reportedly uses around 5 mn single-use containers each day, has 3,200 active collection points, including 2,600 with reverse vending machines and 600 with manual collection.

Darragh O’Brien, the Irish minister for climate, environment, and energy, said the scheme had “dramatically reduced” the number of those containers ending up as litter or being landfilled.

He went on to thank everyone who participated in the scheme in its first year: “The efforts are making a real difference in reducing waste and promoting recycling and I look forward to an even stronger 2025.”