Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 February 2024
105. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of units deemed to have availed of a deposit return take back exemption, by county and by category of retail, in tabular form. [8479/24]
View answerUnder the DRS regulations, retailers are obliged to charge the consumer a deposit for every in-scope drink sold, to take back the empty drink container and to refund the deposit when it is returned for recycling.
Some retailers may avail of an exemption to provide a take-back service, provided certain conditions are met. Retailers with a store size of less than 250m2, as well as those operating vending machines or online sales and for food-to-go and hospitality establishments may apply to Re-Turn for an exemption.
To date, almost 6,000 retail premises have availed of a take-back exemption. The table below provides details of those exemptions by category of retail. The data is not currently available on a county basis.
|
Category |
Number of Premises |
% |
|
Hospitality including gym, sports/golf clubs and cinemas |
2,904 |
49% |
|
Schools, staff canteens & catering providers |
532 |
9% |
|
Mobile vans, ice-cream parlours, juice bars, vending machines & online sales |
527 |
9% |
|
Small retailers & other retail types that sell small volumes of containers (e.g. clothes and bookstores) |
2,023 |
34% |
|
Total |
5,986 |
100% |
