Three months after the Deposit Return Scheme was launched, millions of euros in client deposits are still unclaimed, reports RTE.
According to statistics, at least one out of every six bottles or cans have been returned as part of the programme thus far.
The Department of the Environment reports that since the program’s launch on February 1st, over 76 million containers have been returned and deposits have been reimbursed to the tune of more than €13 million, reports RTE.
Depending on the size of the container, customers who buy a can or bottle under the programme can get a refund of between 15 and 25 cents for each transaction.
The Department of the Environment, however, has declined to provide a return rate statistic, stating that it would be premature to do so.
1.9 billion bottles and cans are used annually by customers, according to Minister of State Ossian Smyth, who announced the program’s launch in November 2022. That would mean that in the three months since its launch, customers had purchased almost 475 million bottles and cans, reports RTE.
Roughly 16% of the 475 million bottles and cans would have been returned. Additionally, it would imply that consumers have not yet claimed up to €65 million in euros.
It is impossible to provide an exact percentage of returns due to a transitional period in which outdated inventory was still sold, but statistics indicate that at least 16%, or roughly one in six bottles and cans, have been returned, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.