Deposit return scheme (recycling) - Part 2

20 minutes plus to return for €3.40. This is the second time in a row now. I thought we were promised this will get better with time, not worse.

It seems that "settling in" doesn't mean the process gets more efficient, it means the machines get broken more regularly, they stink, and people have more and more cans to return which means that even if there's only 2 or 3 people in from of you it can take up to half an hour to get everything done.

One machine of the two in my local Dunnes has been broken for weeks. The other one shuts off every second customer with a simple message saying "This machine is now closed" and nothing else. A proper middle finger to everyone.

ReTurn publishing collected/recycling stats!

Thinking out loud here, if stats were published-say x amount of aluminium cans were collected or recycled, that would give the kerbside waste collections companies valuable information to state their case to the Minister, they are out of pocket and need to increase rate.

Simple maths to compute value of number of cans or weight of cans to calculate their value.

Id imagine you feel immense satisfaction. Similar to taking a bat to the office printer that keeps jamming just before meetings.

Well, I have seen (I believe commonly used term is unwell) person taking his score to the machine. Most if not all of the stuff he tried to redeem for cold hard cash most likely came from waste bins. Smell and unidentifiable stuff which was caked all over his valuable cargo and dripping and falling out everywhere was well, unidentifiable but a good repellent.

I was not the only one who turned away. Dunno how often they come for their earnings but I would consider it a tough line of work to be in.

The other evening the first machine refused all the plastic bottles too heavy regardless of size. It's only one machine. Took the cans. €4..

2nd place queue of 3 first guy had a black bag full to get through. Other machine not working.

3rd place queue of 4 first guy with another massive bag. Only one machine.

Came home chucked all the plastic bottles in the green bin.

I was on the fence about it originally. Lost interest in now. I don't have space to store them, don't want to do the rescam relay trying to get rid of them.

They should have put the effort into reducing packaging.

In Derry Home Bargains and B&M are about 100 yards apart. I dip into B&M for a snoop regularly but always seem to come back to Home Bargains for most things. B&M do have a much better selection of painting / DIY products

Ha it's the same in Newry! We head up for pet food in pets at home (lots cheaper) then pop into both B&M (great for random sweets) and home bargains

Of course they would but they are hardly likely to release it to the public.

How upfront is ReTurn with statistics?

I would not throw them in a bin though.

That way you are doing exactly what they planned all along. If you are tired of waiting in a queue or not bothered then just hand bag of them to any beggar or homeless person on the street or leave them in a bag outside place with machines. Someone will take them and will wait.

You are practically handing your money to rescam so if you are decided to forego deposit then hand them over to someone, anyone but not rescam.

Quite right not to bin them, they have value.

Handing them to random people based on their appearance isn't such a good idea though.

You have no idea if they will return the containers or litter them

Not all collectors look the same anyway.

I've seen people who don't fit your profiling collecting cans.

Leaving bags on the ground outside shops is an offence under the Litter Act.

You're on the right track as far as Re-turn goes.

In their public statements they keep urging people to return and collect their deposits.

They are in the targets business and their success will be measured by the percentage collected.

Same in my local TWO Dunnes shops.Always "Contact staff" message on display.The people are getting fed up already.More cans will be going to the bins again.The scam is begining to work.

6 euro 49 cents in Lidl for 12 cans.Possibly more in Aldi

Hopefully anyone with wasp sting allergies has their injection pen with them. What a way to go out. Stung to death at an RVM trying to engage with this BS scheme.

Wish I could avail of prices like that. My price at local site €5.00 per bag-or 6 for €27.50. And €2.50 for a bag of recycling tho the bag is bit bigger than standard bin bag.

Same. Fuel for the journey plus fees would make it comparable to a black bin lift.

Wherever _Kaiser_ is seems to be generous. Wouldn't surprise me if that deal disappears some time in the near future.

Tried that route-"A minimum charge of €27.50 exists for weighed waste."

I mentioned this in the Lidl thread. Bought the 15x500ml box of Coors last week and was charged the deposit. I brought the empties back to SuperValu and all of them were rejected. When I checked it turns out none of them had either the logo or any barcode.

SuperValu don't have a receptacle for rejects so I had to try and stuff then into the bin on the street outside. If anyone went through the bin looking for empties they must have thought they hit the jackpot until they got to the machine.

I know that but I would still have no way of proving it. They could say I had the cans for years.

It's obviously a problem with their stock rotation as I had bought them previously and they were in scope.

I checked the dates and the BB is October. They must have been near the bottom of the pile for about a year.

They could call their customer a liar which is not good business practice.

Sure. The council have probably already fined Lidl for it 👀.

And who is doing the enforcement? Care to enlighten me on the latest fines levied?

Oops forget, ANYONE who has completed a manual return as highlighted by ReTurn, please step forward.

went today for the first time in ages. got 23 euro back. not sure how many bottles and cans but i had 5 bags full. last time i went was after the deadline for selling bottles without the logo. today i got about 15 bottles rejected due to no logo. fair enough for the rejection but every one was bought since it was illegal to sell without it. i will have to start looking at them again

Fair play to you €23 is a lot of containers.

I wouldn't try to return that many myself.

I'm in the "little and often camp" and I've never done more than 15 at a time.

You could check the barcodes on those rejects here -

https://re-turn.ie/consumer/

There are still plenty of American candy type shops selling imports that aren't included in the scheme. I wouldn't be complaining as it's nice to be able to get some international drinks.