Tipperary’ Supervalu and Centra Stores See Almost 4 Million Containers Returned Since Beginning of Deposit Return Scheme

Supervalu and Centra stores across Tipperary have revealed that almost 4 million eligible single use containers were returned through the Deposit Return Scheme since it began in February. Within the first eight months of the scheme Centra and Supervalu stores nationwide became the first to reach the landmark figure of 125 million containers returned. Twenty-seven reverse vending machines have also been installed in stores across Tipperary making it easier for customers to return their containers.  

These achievements have marked a shift in public engagement where over 91 million containers have been returned nationwide since June. These figures also demonstrate the work that has been done by retailers to encourage their customers to change their recycling habits and to make their businesses more sustainable.  

In Tipperary alone 3,887,850 containers have been returned in total throughout the lifetime of the Deposit Return Scheme.  

Many stores in Tipperary and nationwide have witnessed a huge uptake in the scheme from customers since its implementation and to keep up with demand they have applied for the installation of more reverse vending machines to deal with the increasing level of returns.  

Speaking about the Deposit Return Scheme, Luke Hanlon, Managing Director of Supervalu and Centra: “As a result of offering the largest number of Reverse Vending Machines in convenient locations across every county in Ireland, we are delighted to see such a high level of interaction from our customers in Tipperary with the Deposit Return Scheme in our stores, with almost 4 million containers returned in total since its introduction in February. This is a testament to our loyal customers embracing the scheme which benefits not only them, but also the wider environment. Our data indicates that since June over 95% of eligible cans and bottles we sell have been returned through our RVM machines nationwide. This is a significant increase in the average nationwide recycle rate for these items, which was estimated at 60%–70% before the scheme’s introduction.” 

“I would also like to thank our retailers in Tipperary for the effort and investment that has gone into rolling out the scheme. We and our retailers understand the important role we play in caring for the environment and ensuring that we make the implementation of the DRS scheme as easy and convenient as possible for our customers. Customers are increasingly sustainability focused and it’s essential that as community retailers, SuperValu and Centra are able to empower more eco-friendly recycling habits. This demonstrates the positive benefits of our ‘Local Action Global Impact’ initiative, showing that small, community-based efforts can contribute to the broader fight against environmental challenges.”