Watch: People 'not too sure' about Deposit Return Scheme as it's rolled out in Cork 

“It is going to cause a lot of initial confusion,” one Cork retailer has said as the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) rolls out across the country.

Whyte’s Centra Togher is one of 123 stores across Cork listed as a participant in the new initiative, which began yesterday.

Store owner Kieran Whyte has said that the return scheme is “going to be a case of trial and error” as consumers learn to change their shopping habits.

DRS requires customers to pay a deposit per can or plastic bottle purchased, which can then be redeemed once returned to the reverse vending machine (RVM). 

The voucher produced when a customer returns a can or bottle must then by redeemed at that store.

However, the shop owner has admitted that some elements of the RVM, which has cost the Togher store a total of €17,000 to install, has caused some confusion for both retailers and customers.

“A majority of people aren’t too sure about it all,” Mr Whyte told The Echo.

He explained: “When we, as a retailer, buy in the product, we pay 15 cent. 

"Then the customer pays us the 15 cent, and when they return it, they get 15 cent back from the machine. 

"That 15 cent will then be returned to us for the value of what was redeemed in our shop.” 

Mr Whyte also revealed that many customers are unaware that the products' price tag will remain the same on the shelves, but the deposit will be added at the till.

The shop owner also noted that a deposit charge of 25 cent is being added to larger bottles and that multipacks will see a charge of 15 cent per bottle.

“People are going to start going up to the till with a litre bottle that they think is €2.99 and we are at the till asking for €3.24. Then we are trying to explain that it is not our fault.

“If you buy a ten pack of water, that’s going to go up by €1.50. So, if its €3.49 at the moment, that is going to up a fiver. 

"That is going to make that look really expensive to customers. 

"If you look at 18 pack of cans, that is going up by 15 cent each, to €2.70. That’s a big jump.” 

Mr Whyte also stressed that: “If the customer doesn’t return it, it is the customer at the end of that day that will be losing out.” 

General feedback from the first day of the scheme has led to “a lot of our customers asking today, ‘well, I recycle at home any way and I pay for that already. Why am I paying twice?’.” 

The retailer has said that while, “it is a bit complex,” consumers and shops will quickly learn how best to navigate the new scheme.