Since the Deposit Return Scheme went live on 1 February over 60m containers have been returned and more than €10m has been refunded in deposits. Daily return rates are now reaching between 1.6m and 2.1m containers and are expected to continue to rise. Data relating to the in-scope containers placed on the market and deposits paid is being provided by producers and retailers to Re-Turn in respect of each month. This is a new obligation on producers and retailers and requires some time for collation and verification by Re-Turn.
Until a full 12 months of full operation are completed, it will be premature to draw definitive conclusions from early figures. The transition and first year period are essential for the scheme to stabilise and for the data capture system to mature, ensuring that the metrics we eventually use to measure our performance are both accurate and reliable.
Comparisons of performance at a high level with schemes in other Member States have been useful in benchmarking our scheme and providing reassurance on our expected return rates. No two countries' DRS are exactly the same and I don't have detailed metrics to facilitate direct comparisons, nor do I think this would be particularly useful. As I stated in a previous reply to the Deputy, any data and insights from these new schemes in other member states was shared voluntarily and generously and I commend Re-turn for the good relationships it has fostered with schemes abroad. We, in turn, will be equally supportive of new DRS schemes being introduced elsewhere.
I am encouraged by the engagement rate and steady growth at this stage of the scheme’s introduction. Re-turn will continue to provide periodic data on the scheme’s implementation to me as we progress through the transition period through to full implementation of the scheme from 1st June 2024.
