‘Don’t give out to us!’

Teething problems expected as shops get ready to give new scheme a go.

“WE’RE expecting a few teething problems” is how one local retailer viewed the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and cans from next month.

The scheme will see people charged an extra 15 or 25 cents for drinks in plastic bottles and cans, which they can get back in the form of a voucher if they return the empties to any authorised machine.

Small shops with a small square footage can choose to opt-out of the scheme, which comes into force on February 1, but larger outlets such as supermarkets and service stations have been preparing for many months.

Monaghan’s Centra and service station in Headford town centre is open on a 24-hour basis and its dedicated Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) is located just outside its doors.

Owner Barry Monaghan feels that retailers might be more aware of the scheme than the general public are, but expects the jump in price to catch their attention.

“I lived in America for a number of years and a similar system operates there,” remarked Barry.

“We won’t really know how well it might work until it starts. We’ll just have to see how it goes,” he told The Tuam Herald…

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