Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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90. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether the deposit return scheme has been a success to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49284/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Has the DRS been a success? I am not just asking about the environmental aspect but about the financials behind company, the percentage of unclaimed deposits and where that money has gone and the impact will the scheme have on families right across Ireland who may well experience higher bin collection fees as a result of the DRS.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The deposit return scheme was introduced in February 2024 to help Ireland to meet ambitious EU recycling targets and to encourage more sustainable consumer behaviour. I am pleased to report the scheme has made a strong start and is delivering on its core objectives. Re-turn, the not-for-profit operator, has seen the registration of 287 producers covering over 11,000 products and the installation of 2,750 reverse vending machines nationwide. These machines are now a familiar and effective part of recycling infrastructure, with financial support provided to small retailers to ensure widespread access.

The scheme is having a very positive environmental impact, according to the Coastwatch annual marine litter survey. The lowest levels of bottle and can litter on Irish shores was recorded in over 25 years in 2024. Similarly, IBAL reported a 50% drop in litter from bottles and cans since the scheme launched.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the DRS has enabled fundraising initiatives. The Return for Children campaign, developed with six major children’s charities, has raised over €215,000 to date, which is a powerful example of how circular economy initiatives can deliver social value alongside environmental gains. The DRS is a real and important element of circular economy measures and its early success reflects the strong collaboration between Government, producers, retailers and the community.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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The deposit return scheme has become another tax but it is not like a normal tax that might be used to pay teachers, nurses and gardaí. This is a tax that is going into a private organisation. Last year, at the end of 2024 the company had more than 100 million deposits from unclaimed bottles and cans. Last year, the company had a cash pile of €90 million after expenses. The CEO's salary is not declared. That is what I am asking the Minister of State. I am not disputing the fact there has been an increase in recycling, which is welcome and positive. However, there are other aspects to this. This is a significant sum running to millions of euro. It is essentially a tax not used for the running of this State and that is what I am asking the Minister of State to address. Will he please deal with the question? Is he satisfied with the level of money and unclaimed items in the company? Where is that money going? How much are the staff and CEO being paid? The people of Ireland have no choice but to pay this tax.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I reassure the House that the unredeemed deposits are a normal and expected feature of deposit return schemes internationally. As of the end of 2024, €320 million had been refunded to consumers with €66 million remaining unclaimed. This is not a failure. It reflects the early phases of the scheme but it also will naturally reduce as we move forward towards our EU targets of 90% redemption. Importantly, these funds do not sit idle. Re-turn itself is a not-for-profit organisation.

They are being reinvested into the scheme. If we look at the 23% VAT liability, repaying initial start-up costs, expanding reverse vending machines, infrastructure, funding, educational campaigns and contributing to other contingency measures, the reinvestment is essential as part of the scheme. Will will see a reduction in that year on year. The Department is satisfied. It is under appropriate regulatory and administrative controls and we review it on annual basis.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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It is over €66 million of unclaimed items in one year. The Minister of State has talked about controls. I have asked him how much the CEO is getting paid and what the salaries in this organisation are. That is the level of control I expect him to declare before us in the Dáil. It is unacceptable that he talks simply about the environmental aspect without addressing the issue the people of Ireland have, which is where the money is going, how much the CEO and senior management in return are getting paid and what the situation is regarding the bin companies. Is it the case that the recycling companies across Ireland will increase their fees? Will families across the country who are struggling in this cost-of-living crisis see their bin fees rise as a result of this? What is the Minister of State going to do to ensure families are protected?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy rightly asks the questions regarding the unredeemed deposits. I have outlined the reinvestment into the operational costs for setting up the DRS. I have also outlined-----

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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The salaries?

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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-----that will see a reduction in those unredeemed deposits as we move forward with more campaigns and more informative education. We are also looking at expanding the DRS for municipal bulk machines to ensure people can come to municipal areas and to address that.

Regarding the salaries, as I said earlier, Re-turn is a not-for-profit organisation. Individual salaries are not reported to the Department. Re-turn is required to publish its overall remuneration and benefits costs in its annual report and that was published last July. From our perspective, we are in continuous engagement with Re-turn, which operates the scheme, and we want to see continuous improvement in how it is being led.