The Deposit Return Scheme had its biggest single day ever on 23 December as consumers returned a record 5.8m bottles and cans.
Dermot Mulligan, chief marketing officer for scheme operator Re-Turn, credited the large-scale campaign the company ran across print, digital and radio for growing awareness of the scheme, which in February will mark two years since launch.
The total number of containers recycled two days before Christmas represents a significant uplift from the same day in 2024, when around 5.2m containers were recycled at reverse vending machines nationwide.
Speaking to BusinessPlus.ie, Mulligan commented that returns had been trending upward throughout December and that the campaign had made the difference year-on-year.
"Our awareness levels -- we track our awareness levels on a quarterly basis -- have been good. It's between 97% and 100% awareness of the scheme ... but it's really a matter for us of trying to keep engaged those that have engaged and to engage those consumers who have yet to engage.
"It's an ongoing challenge, but what we're seeing is from the campaign around recycling it right or returning right, we are getting some consumers who hadn't engaged and getting them into the scheme, so it is positive"
Re-Turn is now rolling out a new promotional campaign to continue encouraging people to return their bottles and cans.
Created by Boys + Girls, the 'Re-Turn It Right' campaign has a new year's resolution theme and will run across television, out of home (OOH), social and radio.
Mulligan said that since the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, the national recycling rate for drinks containers has risen from 46% to 91%, with 76% of those containers collected through the scheme.
The latest campaign also seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of recycling bottles and cans at reverse vending machines rather than at home, and Re-Turn has a goal of increasing return rates to 90% by 2029.
"More than 800m bottles and cans per annum are being returned since the launch of the scheme," said Mulligan.
"We have also engaged with 4,600 communities in Ireland -- these are clubs, schools, charities or local initiatives where, let's say somebody wants to return their bottle or can but they haven't had time to return it in store, we provide orange bins, so that you can drop your bottle or can them and your local community can take advantage from a fundraising point of views, so that's working out really well for us as well and for the local communities across Ireland."
There are now more than 2,800 reverse vending machines and 11 bulk machines in operation across Ireland.
The latter allows consumers to recycle around 100 containers at once.
Full 2025 Deposit Return Scheme statistics will be published in Re-Turn's annual report later this year.
Photo: A screenshot from Re-Turn's New Year's campaign. (Pic: LinkedIn/Re-Turn)
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