Under the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Regulations, 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, food-to-go and hospitality establishments may apply to Re-Turn, the DRS operator, for an exemption.
To date, 7,685 retail premises have availed of a take-back exemption. The table below provides details of those exemptions by category of retail.
Category
|
Number of Premises
|
%
|
Hospitality including gym, sports/golf clubs and cinemas
|
3,209
|
42%
|
Schools, staff canteens & catering providers
|
641
|
8%
|
Mobile vans, ice-cream parlours, juice bars, vending machines & online sales
|
1,003
|
13%
|
Small retailers & other retail types that sell small volumes of containers (e.g. clothes and bookstores)
|
2,832
|
37%
|
Total
|
7,685
|
100%
|