Irish consumers return a billion containers under Deposit Return Scheme

Andrei Romanschi (left), store manager at Lidl Kilcarbery and Niamh Kelly (right), head of marketing and communications at Re-turn celebrating the one billionth drinks container being returned at Lidl Kilcarbery, Dublin. 

One billion drinks containers have been returned by Irish consumers since the country’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) began last February.

According to the scheme’s operator, Re-turn, the Irish public have now returned enough bottles and cans to circle the globe 4.7 times. The one billionth container was returned to Lidl, Kilcarbery in Dublin on Tuesday.