Three million bottles and cans returned to Meath Lidl stores through Deposit Return Scheme
Meath has been named as one of the top counties for Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) recycling as Lidl Ireland announced it has become the first retailer to hit 100 million DRS returns across its 180 stores throughout the country.
Since the official launch of the Irish government’s DRS scheme on 1st February this year , Lidl Ireland has processed over 3 million eligible bottles and cans across its six stores in County Meath and returned more than €560,000 in deposits to Meath customers.
Topping the leaderboard for DRS recycling is Lidl’s Navan store, which has processed more than 760,000 units, whilst Clonee and Trim stores complete the top three, with more than 660,000 units and 560,000 units returned respectively to date.
With two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) available at every Lidl store in Ireland, the retailer has invested more than €50 million to date in installing and recently upgrading its machines to meet high processing demand.
Robert Ryan, CEO at Lidl Ireland commented: “We’re delighted to lead the retail sector in contributing significantly to Ireland’s sustainability targets and to reach the 100 million containers returned milestone after just seven months of the scheme being live.
"As the first retailer to launch a DRS trial back in 2021 at our stores in Glenageary in Dublin and Claremorris in Mayo, we have prioritised providing a customer-centric experience so that everyone can come to a Lidl store and be confident in using the reverse vending machines to claim back their deposits in an accessible, quick, and easy way."
According to latest statistics, customers are recycling on average around 24 bottles and cans per visit at Lidl stores and redeeming an average of €4.20 in deposit payouts each time.
“With high redemption rates across all our stores around the country, it’s clear to see that customers are using the DRS refunds to save on their next shopping bill, and many are even using it to load up their Lidl Christmas Savings Card to help prepare for the festive season ahead. In these challenging economic times, it’s more important than ever that customers are supported to fully embrace the scheme and ensure they keep deposit money spent within the household budget”, added Mr Ryan.