Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Since the Deposit Return Scheme went live on 1 February over 30m containers have been returned and over €5m has been refunded. Daily return rates are regularly exceeding 1m containers and are expected to continue to rise.

As consumers who have been charged a deposit can get the deposit back, regardless of when it was purchased, a reasonable period of time is required to measure return rates in a meaningful way. Re-turn retains an open-ended liability to refund the deposit.

The EU requires member states to ensure by 2027 that 77% of plastic bottles are separately collected for recycling, rising to 90% by 2029. For these purposes, Ireland’s performance will be measured over the course of a calendar year. Until a full 12 months of the scheme has been completed, return rates will be indicative only. It will take time for more meaningful metrics to emerge. For now, I am satisfied that the engagement rate compares favourably with similar schemes abroad at this stage of introduction.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is regulated by the DRS Regulations (SI No. 33 of 2024). In accordance with those Regulations, formal monitoring mechanisms of the scheme operator, Re-turn, are in place to ensure compliance with the terms of its approval to operate. My Department and Re-turn are monitoring all operations closely and I receive regular updates.

While I fully expect the Scheme to meet its target, it is unlikely that every container for which a deposit has been paid will be returned by the purchaser. Deposits which are not refunded are referred to as unredeemed deposits. Unredeemed deposits will be retained by Re-turn to fund the operations of the DRS and to promote circular economy initiatives.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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111. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there was any engagement with retailers and the hospitality sector prior to the introduction of the deposit return scheme on the additional card transaction charges and banking charge fees incurred as a percentage of the value of the transaction; if any analysis was conducted as to how much card merchants and banks will profit from the additional charges at the expense of the retail and hospitality sector; his plans to address this factor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14646/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The acceptance of cards as a method of payment is a business decision for each retailer.

In developing the Deposit Return Scheme, my Department engaged extensively with all stakeholders. This included two public consultations, the first in October 2020 and a second in April 2021. No submissions relating to this issue were made.