Cork council considers deposit return vending machines at recycling centres 

Councillors concerned shoppers would move away from small rural retailers to the big supermarkets which had installed the machines

Local authority needed to play its part in helping to recycle drinks cans and plastic bottles, councillor said. Picture: Denis Minihane

Cork County Council is to examine the possibility of installing deposit return vending machines in its recycling centres in an effort to make money and counter an expected increased flow of business from small rural shops to large retailers.

A majority of councillors backed a motion from their Fianna Fáil colleague councillor Gobnait Moynihan, who said the local authority needed to play its part in helping to recycle drinks cans and plastic bottles.

Ms Moynihan said the big supermarkets had installed them in most of their outlets and she was worried people who normally shop in smaller rural retailers would move away from them to the multiples because they can get deposits back on the containers when visiting these larger outlets.

“I fear people will change patterns and go shopping in larger retailers at the expense of smaller shops. Because of this and I want them [the deposit return vending machines] in our bring sites or amenity sites,” she said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley said the council could get "a handling fee" of €3,000 for every 250,000 containers it gets from the machines.

However, she bemoaned the fact that as yet there was no similar system for glass bottles.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gearóid Murphy said the council should get its environment special purposes committee to debate it “so we can thrash it out further".

Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy, who owns off-licence, said his premises was not big enough to house one of the machines and added there had been huge confusion for his staff and customers because bar codes on all of the containers did not show they were eligible for the deposit return system.

He also backed the use of them at council sites, adding many of the big retailers had them in their car parks. 

Because of the bar code difficulties, people were leaving the ones the machines would not accept on the ground next to them, causing litter, councillors heard.

“The scheme was brought in without too much thought. It’s actually a kick in the teeth to small shops. We should get back to the minister [Eamon Ryan] saying it must be addressed again,” Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll said.

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen said he was also worried about a shift of shopping trends away from the smaller outlets as a result of this.

“In Cobh we’re struggling to keep shops in the town centre open and people have to go outside to the larger ones to avail of it,” he added.