On January 27, NFRN representatives attended the first retail meeting to discuss the introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) in Ireland.
They joined government officials, retail representatives and officials from the Department of Climate, Environment and Communications via Zoom, to begin work on designing a DRS for the Republic of Ireland.
All attendees stressed the importance of a well designed and robust DRS that would be suitable for independent retailers.
Following a consultation last year, the Irish government has committed itself to introducing a DRS, possibly as early as autumn 2022.
The move follows Scotland’s decision to implement a DRS from July 1 2022. Retailers in Scotland will be required to charge a deposit of 20p for drinks in single-use cans or plastic or glass bottles, and to accept these containers back against the refund of the deposit and return them for recycling.
Aims of DRS’s include improving the environment by reducing litter and promoting recycling.
The group has scheduled a smaller working group to continue their plans and discussion. The NFRN continue to inform its members about any further developments as details become available.
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