Mayo recyclers boost Lidl to hit 100 million DRS returns
Mayo has been named as one of the top counties for DRS recycling as Lidl Ireland today announced it has become the first retailer to hit 100 million DRS returns across its 180 stores throughout the country.
Since the official launch of the Irish government’s DRS scheme on February 1, 2024, Lidl Ireland has processed over 2.3 million eligible bottles and cans across its five stores in County Mayo and returned more than €410,000 in deposits to Mayo customers.
Topping the leaderboard for DRS recycling is Lidl’s Castlebar store, which has processed more than 720,000 units, whilst Westport and Ballina stores complete the top three, with more than 500,000 units returned in each store to date.
With two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) available at every Lidl store in Ireland, the retailer has invested more than €50 million to date in installing and recently upgrading its machines to meet high processing demand.
Commenting on the announcement, Robert Ryan, CEO at Lidl Ireland said: “We’re delighted to lead the retail sector in contributing significantly to Ireland’s sustainability targets and to reach the 100 million containers returned milestone after just seven months of the scheme being live.
"As the first retailer to launch a DRS trial back in 2021 at our stores in Glenageary in Dublin and Claremorris in Mayo, we have prioritised providing a customer-centric experience so that everyone can come to a Lidl store and be confident in using the reverse vending machines to claim back their deposits in an accessible, quick, and easy way.
"Our investment in our trial and state-of-the-art fitout of machines in our stores has been well worth it and it’s clear that customers are voting with their feet.
"It’s great to see so many people choose to recycle with their local Lidl store and to play their part in helping Ireland transition to a circular economy.
"At the outset of the scheme launching, we planned to process around 3.6 million units per week across 180 stores, but this has been surpassed by up to 25% in some weeks.
"We’re certainly punching above our weight in terms of processing volumes, and we have recently invested further in upgrading our reverse vending machines in every store to meet high customer demand.
"I’m delighted that the Irish public is choosing to commit to a sustainable future with Lidl.”
According to latest statistics, customers are recycling on average around 24 bottles and cans per visit at Lidl stores and redeeming an average of €4.20 in deposit payouts each time.