Forget about bottling it up: My can-do attitude is bringing fun into the Deposit Return Scheme

While many people have expressed their frustration at the dreaded Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles, our columnist is making the most of it this summer and discovering that it’s actually a very satisfying experience

• WE have been knocking great fun out of the Deposit Return Scheme.  I’d even go so far as to say that our very frequent trips to the local Centra to do the deed and return the returnables have been a highlight of the summer. What can I say, we’re simple souls.

I find it such a satisfying experience – tossing the bottles into the chute (I’ve got the knack now – it’s all about the wrist action and it’s rare that one will pop back out on me), followed by that pleasing-to-the-ear crunching sound as they’re swallowed up in the dark abyss, then the little tap of the screen, printing of the receipt, and you’re done.

Well, sort of.

The next stage throws me quite a bit. When the scheme was first introduced, I declared that we’d save up all the receipts until we had accumulated a good amount and put the money towards something fun. Obviously, we’re talking a trip the cinema as opposed to a luxury holiday, but we haven’t followed through on that at all.

Most of the time I relent to the demands of my sidekick and put whatever we’ve ‘earned’ towards an ice cream before we’ve even left the shop (on a sidenote: when did ice creams get so expensive? Bonkers!).

But even when we’re on the straight and narrow, the most we’ve managed to get back in any one go has been around €6.

Of course, the fact that we’ve already paid more for the drinks, to get these few euro back is completely lost on me in the moment, as I celebrate my little ‘windfall,’ and so, too, is the fact that I think we’re probably buying more drinks, just to recycle them. There’s no need to get hung up on the details, right? Why spoil the fun!

• What I really need to spend the money I ‘earn’ is on a proper container to keep all the bottles and cans organised and in the one spot. At the moment, you’re likely to find them almost anywhere – my husband oddly puts them under the sink; I put them in a ‘bag for life’ in the boot of the car (which is a very messy, dribbly and sticky arrangement) and my daughter squirrels hers away in the playroom.

I think we need a dedicated bin, like we have for compost, food waste, and the general recycling. So in the meantime, instead of chastising my husband for his Coke Zero habit, I’m not only strongly encouraging it, but I’m keeping him well stocked up. I should have saved enough in no time!

I’ve noticed, too, that everyone approaches the return scheme in different ways. Some people ‘return as they go’ – they bring them along in dribs and drabs, while others wait until they’ve got a decent stash. I do a bit of both.

If it’s the latter, though, I’ll launch into wild apologies for holding up the queue, as I inwardly hope that no one is judging all our Coke Zero cans (I’ll usually try to casually drop into the conversation that they’re my husbands, what’s he like ... etc).

It can get a bit awkward if you’re the cause of the bin filling up and the shop assistant has to be called out and everyone is even more delayed, or worse still, they get so fed up that they abandon the task entirely. I know this as I’m speaking from experience. That’s why I’m more of a ‘dribs and drabs’ returner these days.

I’ve also noticed kids are far more interested in cleaning up after gatherings now, offering to take the rubbish out, or even poking around in bins – purely to find a few bottles and cans to return. Adult guests aren’t adverse to this sort of behaviour either – and you can forget about bringing a bottle to a party, it’s now about bringing a few bottles home with you! Sure, every little helps, and all the rest.

Staying on the topic, I read that the highest amount of containers ever returned in a single day in Ireland was over 3.66 million on Saturday, July 13th.

And I was horrified to read that in Denmark and Sweden, newer machines allow you to dump all your bottles and cans in at once; and in Denmark, there’s an app that’ll deliver the deposit straight back into your bank account. Where’s the fun in that?

• It’s edge-of-seat stuff this week, readers I know! Anyway, forget about mpox, I think (and hope), a more immediate threat in West Cork right now is being stung by a wasp. They are everywhere and so vicious. I got a nasty sting on the palm of my hand that was beyond excruciating for those initial few minutes. I can’t remember when I was last stung and had forgotten how painful they are. It was nothing that dabbing with vinegar didn’t ease, although I wasn’t sure what was worse – the pain or smelling like a chipper. Anyway, just be on your guard.

• Finally, besides the Olympics, I don’t think I’ve watched any TV all summer. I was in desperate need of something to quieten the mind one night before bed recently so I watched a few episodes of the new series of Emily In Paris.

It’s just as awful as the previous three seasons, but still strangely watchable, pure bubble gum for the brain and nothing wrong with that if you’re in the mood for it (and the clothes and the accents are fabulous).

I dipped in and out of the Rose of Tralee too – as always each Rose was more accomplished than the next.

For me, the festival brings on some mild-to-moderate panic as it signals one last week of holidays to tick all the boxes.

Let’s all dig deep and do this – no bottling it now!