Kilkenny consumers urged to get cash for trash in new scheme

Consumers in Kilkenny will have a chance to get ‘cash for trash’ when they recycle their used bottles and cans, as a result of a new ‘deposit and return’ scheme introduced by the Green Party.  

Green Party TD for Carlow Kilkenny and Minister for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan has welcomed the launch of the scheme, which he says will incentivise higher rates of recycling and ensure fewer bottles and cans end up as litter on our streets and in our communities.

Speaking about the scheme today, Minister Noonan said:

“I’ve done enough litter picks and river clean ups across Kilkenny to know that a shockingly high percentage of the litter in our communities is plastic bottles and cans. This is frustrating because bottles and cans are one of our most recyclable waste items, but it’s also just awful to see our beautiful city, our parks and our riverbanks ruined by litter. 

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“This scheme is going to put a value on that waste and just like the plastic bag levy years ago made us rethink our throwaway attitude to plastic carrier bags, the deposit and return scheme will dramatically increase the amount of plastic bottles and cans we recycle. Currently only 23% of plastic bottles are recycled in Ireland and we want to take this to 90%.”

Participating in the scheme couldn’t be simpler, and new machines that will accept bottles and cans with the ‘Re-turn’ logo have been installed in almost every supermarket across the county, along with many smaller convenience stores.

“People will have seen the new reverse vending machines appear in local stores over the last few months, and they couldn’t be easier to use,” said Green Party Councillor for Kilkenny City and chair of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful, Maria Dollard. 

“Just go to your local store, pop any plastic bottles and cans with the Re-turn logo into the machine, and you’ll get your deposit back. There’s no sign up required, it’s simple and convenient, and similar schemes have had great success in Europe. 

“It’s estimated that 1.9 billion plastic bottles and cans are bought every year in Ireland. If we achieve our goal of a 90% recycling rate, that’s hundreds of millions of bottles and cans taken off our streets or out of landfill, we’ll have cleaner communities, and a cleaner less contaminated stream of waste going straight to recycling.”

Over 4,000 retailers have signed up to participate in the scheme and 3,500 reverse vending machines are being installed across the country. The scheme is funded by a deposit of 15c on plastic bottles and cans of 500ml or less and 25c on containers larger than 500ml. This deposit is claimed back by returning the containers to any participating store, even if they were bought in a different store. Consumers can choose between receiving the deposit as a store voucher or as cash.