Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way that the plastic bottle scheme will work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62784/22]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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120. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide details regarding the deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62023/22]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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143. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will outline the details of Ireland’s deposit return scheme. [62828/22]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 120 and 143 together.

In keeping with our Programme for Government commitment, the Government is introducing a deposit return scheme in respect of plastic bottles and aluminium cans. The Scheme will help us meet our obligations under the Single Use Plastics Directive to collect 90% of plastic bottles by 2029 and incorporate recycled plastic to a minimum of 30% in new bottles by 2030. We also expect a dramatic reduction in littering of these items following the scheme’s introduction.

The scheme places responsibility for the collection and recycling of the items on the producers who have put them on the market. Those producers have set up DRS Ireland CLG, trading as Re-turn, to design and roll out the scheme.

On 1st July, I granted DRS Ireland an approval to operate a Deposit Return Scheme and on November 28th, I launched the registration by retailers and producers. I also announced the deposit levels to apply. Bottles and cans of 500 millilitres and less, will attract a deposit of 15 cent and larger bottles and cans will attract a higher deposit of 25c. In both instances, the deposit will be fully refundable to the consumer.

The national regulations set out how the scheme will operate and the protections available to retailers when accepting returned containers. Re-turn is responsible for determining the finer operational details of the scheme and is rolling out a major awareness and communications plan around deposit return.

Deposit Return is a major project involving the development of complex IT, infrastructure, and communication systems, which will be delivered by Re-turn over the course of 2023 with a 'go-live' date of February 2024.