SuperValu and Centra invest €28m in reverse vending machines

James Cox

SuperValu and Centra are investing €28 million in reverse vending machines ahead of the launch of a new national recycling scheme next month.

SuperValu and Centra have installed reverse vending machines (RVMs) in 540 stores across the 26 counties in Ireland, ahead of the launch of the new DRS Scheme on February 1st.

A total of 667 reverse vending machines are available to customers in 219 SuperValu and 321 Centra stores nationwide.

Trials in stores began in early 2023 with one key result being that customers will see two machines present in higher footfall locations to increase efficiency and convenience in returning containers.

Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu and Centra, said: “As part of our strategy to build more sustainable communities and play our part in protecting the planet, we are delighted to roll out the DRS scheme across our 540 SuperValu and Centra stores.

“Investments in DRS complement other environmental initiatives undertaken by retailers, such as installation of solar panels, the implementation of fridge doors for energy conservation, LED lighting, and efforts to reduce packaging. These collective actions show the commitment to reducing our overall climate impact and growing sustainably every day. We and our retailers understand the important role we play in supporting communities and ensuring that we make the implementation of the DRS scheme as easy and convenient as possible for our customers.”

SuperValu and Centra estimate that 90 per cent of recyclable PET bottles and AUL cans sold in store will be returned and more than 320 million containers are projected to be collected annually with the rollout of reverse vending machines across the store network.