Feature on 80 Dublin bins to deter people from searching for bottles to return

Eva Osborne

Dublin City Council and Re-turn, operators of Ireland's deposit return scheme, announced a new three-month 'Give Take Return' pilot programme on Thursday, which will see the roll-out of new surrounds on 80 bins where people can donate empty bottles or cans while on the go.

Other people are then free to take the donated bottles and cans and bring them back. The initiative hopes to discourage people from searching through bins for bottles or cans to return and to prevent plastic bottles and cans from being discarded into general waste.

The new branded bin surrounds were made to be easily identifiable to the general public.

Dublin City Council and Re-turn have launched a three-month pilot program called 'Give Take Return.' This initiative will add new surrounds to 80 bins for people to donate empty bottles and cans while on the go. Others can then take these donations for recycling. The program aims… pic.twitter.com/uCGX49mfBL

— Dublin City Council (@DubCityCouncil) October 17, 2024

Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan said; “This innovative scheme is another step on the journey to a cleaner and safer city. We know that members of the public have been searching through public bins for bottles and cans to return.

"This is generating more litter on the street and it’s also an unsafe practice for the people involved. I’m confident this new scheme will go a long way towards solving those issues.

"It means that if you have an empty returnable bottle or can, instead of just binning it you can donate it to someone else by simply leaving it on the bin surround.”

Chief executive of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley, said: “Successfully capturing on-the-go drink containers and keeping them separate from general waste is critical to the progress of Deposit Return in Ireland.

"We want consumers to think before they bin these valuable resources. By leaving them for others, you're ensuring they are returned, allowing someone else to benefit from the deposit refund.

"We're excited to partner with Dublin City Council on this pilot project and look forward to its successful expansion nationwide.”