It was February 2024 when Ireland’s first bottle return scheme, Re-turn, was unveiled in what was hoped would be the biggest behavioural shift for people since the plastic bag tax of 2001. In the first six months, the Government-mandated scheme was seen as a big success – with returns shooting from 2 million a month to 110 million, according to initial figures.
But it’s not been a good week for Re-turn.