Deposit return scheme improvement ideas?

Who refunds you the deposit?

the best improvement would be to scrap it.

focus on other things like forcing producers to use less plastic instead of punishing the majority of people who already recycle their bottles/cans.

how about this food companies can only use the minimum/ or certain percentage less of plastic for their packaging? a huge amount of plastic on food products (especially confectionary) is solely to take up shelf space & make their product stand out.

Not perfect but if there was an effective spot checking system in place it would deter fraud, like in Tesco when you use the handheld scanners. People could rob from your bin though I guess.

I'd like to be able to use one of those bulk machines that was shown on the other thread.

You just pour in all your containers and the machine sorts them out.

Also I'd like it sited by the bottle banks so you could just drive up beside it.

My best idea is to post in the already established thread discussing all that. https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058316674/deposit-return-scheme-recycling#latest

Well I did think about printing off 2 lite barcodes and putting them on cans. Etc

Bigger bulk machines so bottles and cans can go in at once to be checked.

If there is a logo on item check instore ?

And a waste machine for bottles and cans before the scheme was thought of.

there’s a 4 month transition window. After that there will be no issue. My local Tesco put a bin beside the machine for items with no deposit. It’s not really a non issue

a phone app that can pay the money I to your bank account so you don't have to go into the shop.

Very simple. Integrate it into the well established recycling bin collection scheme, that is paid for by us.

Scrap the scheme and have can and plastic bottle recycling bins just like those for glass.

This was discussed a few times on the AH thread but no obvious solution was found.

The main reason taking returns was ruled out by Tesco and others was hygiene.

Returns may have been stored in a shed or utility room in less than clean conditions.

It would be unacceptable to place them in the delivery van with people's grocery orders.

The elderly infirm and disabled have a particular problem.

I did suggest that a limited number of returns might be accommodated in the cab. They could be sealed in a bag and tagged with the name and account number of the customer.

Of course this would mean extra work for the driver and someone would have to process the returns and credit accounts back at the store.

All of this would add to costs for the retailer which would have to be recouped in some way.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about customers who drive. Most of them will find themselves passing an RVM location at some time during a normal week.

What on earth are you buying?

I've had ONE in scope, logoed container refused; because the manufacturer screwed up and never registered the barcode. That was, eventually, fixed.

I've had a few badly printed cans that took a few goes to get to work, but only one product recently and the manufacturer is aware - the barcode was significantly smaller than the minimum size of the overall spec for barcodes so invalid everywhere. Still worked if the barcode was put face down on the belt.

Bulk machines at civic amenity sites is an obvious change that could be done, pending figuring out how to give you your money; but there's plenty of places without easy access to those too. There is no requirement for a takeback location to sell drinks, I know of a location that is a hardware store. It obviously has tills for giving you back cash, and products to buy, though. And a WEEE dropoff and glass bins outside already.

is getting a large truck to deliver your Groceries the most green? Surely walking, cycling , cargo bike etc is more green

it’s several tonnes and going to your house and

Who knows how far between other deliveries

walking, cycling, scooting, cargo bikes, EV would be greener

They're all sub 3.5T vans. I suspect an EV SUV weighs more. Delivery is mostly offered in urban areas and has high competition for slots; the next delivery will not be far. EV delivery vans exist.

Being able to get shopping delivery may allow someone to get rid of a car entirely and only rent one when needed - not having a car on the drive eliminates lazy trips, which are the worst for emissions (short, cold engine usage).

Large families would find it difficult to put a weeks shopping on any of those modes. Getting shopping delivered, were enough people doing it, would take countless car journeys off the road. Once a bit more AI etc is put in place on the back end of the delivery scheduler and the trucks used to the the delivery get electrified it becomes a very environmentally friendly way to shop, might not be good for employment but there are other pros and cons as well.

In the same way that a couple of bin trucks collected waste from tens of houses at a time versus now when they still do that, as well as the car journeys needed to bring back plastics and cans to shops as well as all the newer trucks that empty the dr's machines......

For a family of 4/5? About 9 K from the shop? Either way, theres not many people with young families with the money/storage/time to operate a cargo bike for the weekly shop.

And a delivery wagon delivers to more than one house and is a much more efficient way of doing the same thing from any number of angles.

If everyone shopped from home the'd delivery to nearly every house as well, the more the service grows the more positives for the environment versus the current scenarios.

Again, in relation to this DRS, we've gone from a more environmentally way of collecting waste/recyclables to a less enviromentally friendly way. There's no argument there surely?

The stupid machine should be redesigned, they keep reading as full when they are not as all the bottles and cans stack on the one side they fall in on

The trays themselves aren't big enough

Give everyone a bin that they can recycle bottle in. Thats the best idea yet. Especially if they already have one.

Well thats just nonsense.

So that post was from the start of march. I've since been a few times and the acceptance rate for products where a deposit was paid is still not 100% but it's better than it was.

Stuff that wasnt accepted last week, even though a deposit was paid, was some specific monster cans, as well as Aldi fruit cider multipack cans… that didnt even have a barcode!!

But I went in with 3 big bags, got 12 euro back and only had a few rejects. It's getting better, it's just a bad implementation that has soured the experience for most. Of course, any rejects go straight in the black bin at home. My own petty "FU"