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Why no bottle return deposit in Ireland?

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  • 07-07-2020 8:21pm
    #1
    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭


    I've lived in the Netherlands and spent a lot of time in Germany.

    In both countries, plastic and glass bottles come with a deposit from €0.20 to €1, plastic crates for carrying the bottles are also available for a deposit.

    Here, there are no plastic crates. Just horrid slabs with a sheet of recyclable cardboard and soft plastic that cannot be recycled and must go into the black rubbish bin.

    Why can't we emulate most of our European neighbours and introduce a deposit system?

    The Dutch and German system is wonderful. You are charged an extra amount when buying a bottle of beer or soft drink. When you return the empties into the machine you get a receipt which you can get cash back or use to pay against shopping.

    I remember celebrating Queen's Day in Nijmegen. Everyone was drinking. At the end of the day, the greens were pristine. No rubbish or bottles left behind, the odd bottle that was left was snapped up by someone for the deposit.


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Comments

  • Options
    #2
    McGinniesta
    Registered Users Posts: 4,402 ✭✭✭McGinniesta


    We actually do recycle in this country


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    #3
    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!


    McGinniesta wrote: »
    We actually do recycle in this country

    ??


  • Options
    #4
    McGinniesta
    Registered Users Posts: 4,402 ✭✭✭McGinniesta


    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »
    ??

    I might read it


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    #5
    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 443 ✭✭Hairy Japanese BASTARDS!


    McGinniesta wrote: »
    I might read it

    Regardless of whether we recycle or not, it's scandalous that our European neighbours incentivise recycling but we're actually being CHARGED for the privilege.

    We pay 4c per kg of green bin lift and bottles are thrown into a communal bin in a council or supermarket carpark for some other company to make money off.

    The only other choice we have is chuck them into the black bin and pay through the nose for rubbish collection.


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    #6
    Ubbquittious
    Registered Users Posts: 6,177 ✭✭✭Ubbquittious


    Fun fact: Ireland was the first place to have it the whole way back in 1799

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container-deposit_legislation#History


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    #7
    Lyan
    Registered Users Posts: 220 ✭✭Lyan


    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »
    Regardless of whether we recycle or not, it's scandalous that our European neighbours incentivise recycling but we're actually being CHARGED for the privilege.

    We pay 4c per kg of green bin lift and bottles are thrown into a communal bin in a council or supermarket carpark for some other company to make money off.

    The only other choice we have is chuck them into the black bin and pay through the nose for rubbish collection.

    Is there proof that Ireland has more bottle litter per capita or are you just annoyed that we do it more through private channels rather than public?


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    #8
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭Feisar


    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »
    Regardless of whether we recycle or not, it's scandalous that our European neighbours incentivise recycling but we're actually being CHARGED for the privilege.

    We pay 4c per kg of green bin lift and bottles are thrown into a communal bin in a council or supermarket carpark for some other company to make money off.

    The only other choice we have is chuck them into the black bin and pay through the nose for rubbish collection.

    We get rid of glass bottles/jars and cans at any bottle bank around the town for free. The local recycling center takes a car load of recycling for €3. And I do mean a car load, boot, back wedged, front seat all for €3.

    First they came for the socialists...



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    #9
    rossie1977
    Registered Users Posts: 11,341 ✭✭✭✭rossie1977


    German bottle return service is excellent. Pretty much every shop has it.

    The only thing is when you land and forget and have 1 euro to pay for that bottle of water right off the plane and cashier tells you it's 1.25...


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    #10
    screamer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,131 ✭✭✭screamer


    But it’s a total false economy. The price of the bottle refund is built into the price you pay. They’re only refunding your money. Here, it also suits to not have this as we pay for the privilege and give the recycling industry free raw materials. They are profiting from the recycling not paddy public.


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    #11
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,865 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    I can't see myself dragging a weekends worth of beer bottles to the offie for a refund. Morto I'd be lol. Into the bottle bank it goes of a Tuesday night when it's dark.


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    #12
    Zebra3
    Registered Users Posts: 13,851 ✭✭✭✭Zebra3


    When I was a kid there was a deposit paid on bottles.

    Really need it again especially on plastic.


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    #13
    The Assistinator
    Registered Users Posts: 422 ✭✭The Assistinator


    rossie1977 wrote: »
    German bottle return service is excellent. Pretty much every shop has it.

    The only thing is when you land and forget and have 1 euro to pay for that bottle of water right off the plane and cashier tells you it's 1.25...
    Yeah who is thinking a bottle of water for a euro is realistic coming from Ireland.


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    #14
    Ubbquittious
    Registered Users Posts: 6,177 ✭✭✭Ubbquittious


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    I can't see myself dragging a weekends worth of beer bottles to the offie for a refund. Morto I'd be lol. Into the bottle bank it goes of a Tuesday night when it's dark.




    You could always potentially be dumping someone elses bottles. Unless it's some unusual craft beer you've been waxing lyrical about to everyone and importing specially


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    #15
    Lurching
    Registered Users Posts: 1,239 ✭✭✭Lurching


    There's a big environmental difference between glass being crushed and melted (here) versus washed and reused (Germany).

    The deposit also has a huge impact on litter. Take a walk around the hills of Dublin and you'll see the ditches littered with plastic bottles and cans. I'm not sure if most of it is filthy feckers throwing bottles out their windows, or recycling bin trucks making a mess when they lift the bins (particularly when it's windy).

    If there was a deposit on these bottles and cans, they wouldn't go in to the bin trucks and people would be more inclined to pick them up to receive the deposit.

    In the grand scheme of things, we need to start pushing back on the quantity of single use plastic we use. I reckon the Irish govt should announce that in 4 years time, no plastic bottles will be sold in Ireland to give suppliers time to figure out reusable alternatives or start using materials that break down much more quickly.


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    #16
    jester77
    Registered Users Posts: 11,262 ✭✭✭✭jester77


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    I can't see myself dragging a weekends worth of beer bottles to the offie for a refund. Morto I'd be lol. Into the bottle bank it goes of a Tuesday night when it's dark.

    That's what delivery services are for, they pick up the empty crates when delivering the new ones.


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    #17
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,865 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    jester77 wrote: »
    That's what delivery services are for, they pick up the empty crates when delivering the new ones.

    That's gas. I couldn't let the delivery person see the carnage either!

    Look we have a few bottles of nice beer and wine at the weekend it's not a crime, but anonymity is good too!


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    #18
    jester77
    Registered Users Posts: 11,262 ✭✭✭✭jester77


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    That's gas. I couldn't let the delivery person see the carnage either!

    Look we have a few bottles of nice beer and wine at the weekend it's not a crime, but anonymity is good too!

    anonymity from what?! It's just a delivery service like having pizza delivered.


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    #19
    Pinch Flat
    Registered Users Posts: 7,761 ✭✭✭Pinch Flat


    Don't think we recycle glass domestically? Could be wrong. I lived in Germany as a student - the pfand system was excellent. People would have little trollies that gets wheel to the supermarket with last week's beer bottles - sometimes in the crate they came in. Or yiud see peolel with tjen on the bacl of their bikes. It was quite normal. I was in Germany and Austria a few years back and they'd extended the system to plastic bottles.


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    #20
    yogmeister
    Registered Users Posts: 135 ✭✭yogmeister


    McGinniesta wrote: »
    We actually do recycle in this country

    It's not just about recycling, it will reduce litter also. It's something we badly need in this country.


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    #21
    la ultima guagua
    Closed Accounts Posts: 226 ✭✭la ultima guagua


    Hairy Japanese BASTARDS! wrote: »
    I've lived in the Netherlands and spent a lot of time in Germany.

    In both countries, plastic and glass bottles come with a deposit from €0.20 to €1, plastic crates for carrying the bottles are also available for a deposit.

    Here, there are no plastic crates. Just horrid slabs with a sheet of recyclable cardboard and soft plastic that cannot be recycled and must go into the black rubbish bin......

    You posting rubbish again

    This is a list of what one of the Dublin City bring centres will take ( at no charge )



    519143.png


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    #22
    duffmann
    Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭duffmann


    I would love if we had a deposit scheme. The country wouldn't look like a rubbish tip on sunny days. Also there would be less glass on the cycle lanes. I have seen deposit schemes all over the world. One example, I was at a football game in Dortmund and everyone were drinking outside the stadium. There were many people bagging the empty cans to earn some cash.


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    #23
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,741 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    McGinniesta wrote: »
    We actually do recycle in this country

    Yes and no. A lot of stuff is shipped abroad as we haven't the plants here to process it.

    The glass bottle return thing is all well and good but reusable glass milk bottles were got rid of as plastic and card cartons were cheaper.

    There was a piece about a recycling company based here, I recall reading about the cohort of nice folks here who stuff things like dead dogs and shıtty nappies into bins. The amount of contaminated unusable stuff is something else.


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    #24
    mistersifter
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭mistersifter


    Tis not only the Germans and Dutch.

    Deposit on most glass bottles and some plastic bottles in Argentina.

    You bring em to supermarket and they have a machine that takes them and gives you a receipt to say you've returned them and can buy more beer.

    Beer is mostly bought in litre bottles so it's handy enough but you have to plan going to buy beer - if you just fancy buying a few bottles spur of the moment it's a pain in the hole cos you don't have your empties with you.


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    #25
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,712 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    whisky_galore wrote: »
    The glass bottle return thing is all well and good but reusable glass milk bottles were got rid of as plastic and card cartons were cheaper.
    This is the closest thing we've come to a reasonable answer, and it isn't an answer.

    Hate to sound like one of those guys, but in Berlin the homeless people go about collecting glass bottles, and probably make some kind of income from it. Why can't we do this?


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    #26
    mistersifter
    Registered Users Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭mistersifter


    A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »
    This is the closest thing we've come to a reasonable answer, and it isn't an answer.

    Hate to sound like one of those guys, but in Berlin the homeless people go about collecting glass bottles, and probably make some kind of income from it. Why can't we do this?

    There wouldnt be enough litter to keep all our homeless in business :pac:


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    #27
    Kylta
    Registered Users Posts: 15,457 ✭✭✭✭Kylta


    Zebra3 wrote: »
    When I was a kid there was a deposit paid on bottles.

    Really need it again especially on plastic.

    I remember getting money for bringing bottles back to the shop when I was small


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    #28
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,695 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Pinch Flat wrote: »
    Don't think we recycle glass domestically?
    Irish Glass Bottle company used to do it. But closed in 2002

    So to recycle glass you'd have to export it. Or use it for building roads.


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    #29
    Darc19
    Registered Users Posts: 3,817 ✭✭✭Darc19


    Afaik it's part of the green agreement for government.

    Very easy to implement and should be done so quickly.


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    #30
    whisky_galore
    Registered Users Posts: 15,741 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »
    This is the closest thing we've come to a reasonable answer, and it isn't an answer.

    Hate to sound like one of those guys, but in Berlin the homeless people go about collecting glass bottles, and probably make some kind of income from it. Why can't we do this?

    The wha abou da homeless refrain.

    Maybe something could be done to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place, instead of assuaging guilty consciences becoming litter pickers for pennies.


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    #31
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,637 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Spanish Eyes wrote: »
    That's gas. I couldn't let the delivery person see the carnage either!

    Look we have a few bottles of nice beer and wine at the weekend it's not a crime, but anonymity is good too!

    If you’d be embarrassed by the empties you’re probably really just embarrassed by your consumption.

    In many places it’s completely normal. Let’s face it, nobody else really cares what you drink or knows how much and when returned from a dunnes bag straight into a machine. 10c up to €1 per empty on everything from bottled water through to wine bottles. I’d rather stick a few cans and bottles into a machine and get my money back than add it to the bin lift or faff about dropping them to a bottle bank at night.


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