None of Ireland’s four major airports – Dublin, Cork, Shannon or Knock – currently have Deposit Return Scheme machines installed despite some of their airside shops charging the 15-25 cent deposit on containers bought by passengers about to jet off.
After a customer at Boots in Dublin’s Terminal 1 was charged a 15c deposit on a bottle of Orange Club Rock over the weekend, Gript inquired on Monday as to whether there are currently any ‘Reverse Vending Machines’ in either of Dublin Airport’s terminals that would allow passengers to reclaim their deposit.
Responding today, following an article last night from the Irish Independent which stated that Dublin Airport has ‘no plans’ to install return scheme machines despite its shops charging deposits, a Dublin Airport spokesperson said that returns can be made only at WH Smith and Boots in each of the airport’s terminals.
However, the airport has no reverse vending machines currently, meaning that passengers who’ve left the shopping area for boarding or who take their drink aboard the plane with them have no easy way to recuperate their deposit.
Passengers unaware of their right to return the bottles to the selected retailers but who wish to reclaim their money will likely have to hold on to their bottles until they return to Ireland, or can transfer their drink to another container so that they can turn in their purchased container and earn back their deposit.
Inquiries to Cork and Shannon airport returned the response that neither has a reverse vending machine, with a spokesperson for Shannon Airport stating that they are working with Re-turn and their retail partners to explore the implementation of the scheme through its airport specific guidance.
In a document titled Export, Airport and Maritime Stock Guidance, Re-turn advises that products sold to in-port non-duty free customers must feature a deposit as they are considered a “standard domestic sale”.
“If the producer/wholesaler is producing/selling goods to non-duty free business customers in the airport/seaport (airside or landside) and these products can be consumed in the airport/seaport or brought on a plane/ship, a deposit must be charged as this is considered a standard domestic sale. These products must be registered with Re-turn and include a Re-turn logo and Re-turn barcode(ROI specific or international).
“To facilitate returns of these in-scope products and refunding of the deposit to consumers, WH Smith & Boots have agreed to operate manual return points in major Irish airports,” the document’s section four reads.
Cork airport in its statement added that Aer Rianta International (ARI), which is part of the DAA Group, has taken the decision to “eliminate the sale of all plastic bottles at Cork and Dublin airports,” to be replaced by 500ml Tetra Pak cartons, which are not subject to the charge that was introduced as part of the Deposit Return Scheme.
However, they also said that other independent retailers who have concessions at Cork airport will make their own decisions regarding whether to opt in or out of the scheme.