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It is estimated that about 1.9 billion drinks bottles and cans are consumed each year in Ireland.
The recently launched national Deposit Returns Scheme could boost the recycling rate across County Sligo.
A t the latest meeting of Sligo County Council, Cllr Dara Mulvey highlighted the scheme which he states could go a long way to addressing the negative impact of the 1.9 billion drink bottles and cans consumed in Ireland each year.
“The Deposit Return Scheme aims to boost the recycling rate for these drinks containers by charging a small, refundable deposit for each plastic bottle or can,” he said
“The Scheme will include PET plastic bottles and aluminium and steel cans between 150ml and three litres. This incentive is operating in other countries and would encourage people to recycle these products and thus avoid unwanted litter in our communities.”
Cllr Mulvey highlighted the success of such schemes in other European countries where people are rewarded for returning their recyclables.
“An awful lot of retail outlets do not segregate their bins and there is a lot of plastic and aluminium being dumped on a daily basis, this is a serious thing,” he said.
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“We should look at getting this in place as quickly as we can, these incentives should be brought forward to help people get into the habits of deposit returns.”
Supporting the motion, Cllr Tom Fox said it is important to address the way we consume and dispose of our waste, while Cllr Marie Casserly stated Ireland is about 30 years behind other EU countries in this respect.
Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady recalled a time when people would get a refund for returning bottles in Ireland and stated at one point we were ahead of the curve but have now fallen behind.
The scheme will charge customers a small deposit for drinks or bottles which they will then get back upon return of the recyclable.
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