Re-Turn Plastic Bottles

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Cervelo

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I tried today to return some bottles that don't have the Re-Turn logo on them but the machine rejected them
I tried a machine in both Lidl and Dunnes with the same result
I was under the impression that there is a transitioning period from the 1st of February till May where the machine will allow bottles without the logo to be returned
The bottles I tried to return are the same as is on sale in Dunnes at the moment which I presume has the price increase €3.15 for a 2 Litre Diet 7up

From the Re-turn website
*To prevent waste, for a limited period from 1 February, there will be some stock of plastic bottles and cans that may not feature the Re-turn logo. Should consumers be charged a deposit on these drinks containers, please be assured that you will get your deposit back when you return empty and undamaged to RVM Deposit Return Points nationwide.

I asked the manager in Lidl and he said only bottles with the Logo will be accepted!!!

Anybody else having the same problem???
 
The charge for return is separate and would be detailed on the receipt if you still have it.
 
You can check the barcodes here and see if it is registered with the scheme - this is an unofficial one but actually easier to use than the one on the actual Re-turn website:
re-turn.shanehastings.ie

Re-turn Barcode Checker

Check whether your bottles and cans are part of the new Irish Deposit Return Scheme (Re-turn). Unofficial website.
re-turn.shanehastings.ie re-turn.shanehastings.ie

The roll out has been a bit of a shambles. It was supposed to be only items with Re-turn logo accepted but now it is all about the barcode and whether it is on the system or not. The manager in LIDL is wrong at this point, but in your scenario it is probably correct they are not eligible to be returned.

To add to the confusion:
Some items not in the scheme are being charged the deposit wrongly.
Some items deposits weren't paid for are being refunded.
 
I bought a soft drink the other day in a garage (seldom do it but forgot one from home) anyway the .15c was added on at checkout but there is no logo on the bottle so I have kept my receipt in case it doesn't give me back my deposit!

Mind you I could be waiting a while as I have so few to gather up for refund.
 
I'll be honest and say these bottles were bought before February so I didn't pay the extra charge and am been a bit cheeky here and was hoping to make a bob or two like I did as a young lad back in the seventies ;)
But I did check the barcode on the bottles against the bottles on Dunnes shelves and they are the same as well as the rest of the label
So I was expecting the machine to refund me given they're the same barcode.
odyssey06 said:
You can check the barcodes here and see if it is registered with the scheme - this is an unofficial one but actually easier to use than the one on the actual Re-turn website:
Click to expand...
Thanks odyssey06,
Checked barcodes on both a diet 7UP and a full fat Coke which are both on sale in Dunnes at the moment and both barcodes are not in the Re-Turn scheme even though I would be paying the deposit if I'd bought them today :mad:
 
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Slightly off-topic but not really, why do the tins/cans have to brought back undamaged ? Everyone does the old jaws squeeze on cans nowadays surely ? I have not ventured near the machines yet meself obviously.
 
elcato said:
Slightly off-topic but not really, why do the tins/cans have to brought back undamaged ? Everyone does the old jaws squeeze on cans nowadays surely ? I have not ventured near the machines yet meself obviously.
Click to expand...
I presume so that the bar code remains clear to be read and not squished.
 
I flatten bean tins, water bottles etc. as much as possible to optimise their volumetric burden. I also slice open 2 & 3 ltr milk containers and pack them with other recyclables to optimise space. All for nowt now it seems.
 
Cervelo said:
I tried today to return some bottles that don't have the Re-Turn logo on them but the machine rejected them
I tried a machine in both Lidl and Dunnes with the same result
I was under the impression that there is a transitioning period from the 1st of February till May where the machine will allow bottles without the logo to be returned
The bottles I tried to return are the same as is on sale in Dunnes at the moment which I presume has the price increase €3.15 for a 2 Litre Diet 7up

From the Re-turn website
*To prevent waste, for a limited period from 1 February, there will be some stock of plastic bottles and cans that may not feature the Re-turn logo. Should consumers be charged a deposit on these drinks containers, please be assured that you will get your deposit back when you return empty and undamaged to RVM Deposit Return Points nationwide.

I asked the manager in Lidl and he said only bottles with the Logo will be accepted!!!

Anybody else having the same problem???
Click to expand...
I do my shopping at SuperValu. So far there is nothing on display with the new logo and nobody is charged any deposit. It looks like they are still selling the old stock.
 
In Dunnes yesterday Coke and Diet coke on special offer but label clearly showed deposit was included, therefore I assumed the bottles would have the return logo - it didn't, just to investigate I bought one and tested in (empty) and it did not qualify for deposit return. This leads me to a number of questions, first why run a promotion on a product that is going to generate customer problems and two who gets the deposit that Dunnes has collected and the machine won't credit, assuming most people don't have the time to argue with their receipt in hand with an elusive manager.
 
All deposits are submitted to Re-turn by retailers, who get a refund when they pay out to customers.
So unclaimed deposits go to Re-turn.
 
Yes there is a transitioning period.

Suppliers can deliver bottles and cans without Re-turn logo & new barcode up to 15th March.

Retailers can sell non Re-turn bottles until 1st June.

The main "issue" is some small manufacturers have an international barcode. Most of these will show some form of deposit such as Pfand but they don't currently have the ReTurn logo (new labels need to be produced), however they have not been forced to change barcodes or bring new labels immediately.

Example would be craft beer producers.

Once summer arrives it will hopefully see the millions of empty plastic bottles and cans that adorn our beaches, forest walks and roadsides disappear.

And if that happens it will be worth every little inconvenience of the scheme
 
peemac said:
The main "issue" is some small manufacturers have an international barcode. Most of these will show some form of deposit such as Pfand but they don't currently have the ReTurn logo (new labels need to be produced), however they have not been forced to change barcodes or bring new labels immediately.
Click to expand...
Not sure I fully agree with you here,
The issue is not the logo or the barcode but rather that the Re-Turn machine is not giving a refund on deposit charged products because it simply hasn't been programmed to do so even though we were told at launch that it was
My understanding of barcodes is that they are unique to the product, so if a supermarket is able to update it's pricing on a given date through a barcode well then the machine that is supposed to refund us this deposit charge should be able to do the exact same using the same barcode
 
peemac said:
Yes there is a transitioning period.

Suppliers can deliver bottles and cans without Re-turn logo & new barcode up to 15th March.

Retailers can sell non Re-turn bottles until 1st June.

The main "issue" is some small manufacturers have an international barcode. Most of these will show some form of deposit such as Pfand but they don't currently have the ReTurn logo (new labels need to be produced), however they have not been forced to change barcodes or bring new labels immediately.

Example would be craft beer producers.

Once summer arrives it will hopefully see the millions of empty plastic bottles and cans that adorn our beaches, forest walks and roadsides disappear.

And if that happens it will be worth every little inconvenience of the scheme
Click to expand...
The number of people being charged deposits on items not registered for the scheme is widespread. It is not just some small manufacturers.
Some shops seem to be putting deposits on the items without any regard to whether they are in the Re-turn scheme or not.

I'd be dubious this will lead to significant reduction in littering. Is someone drinking on a beach going to bother bringing bag of empty cans back with them, for some future date to return them to an RVM? Doubtful, especially for teenagers.

And if they are damaged, as they are likely to be in those situations, people aren't going to go hunting them for 15c.
 
Cervelo said:
My understanding of barcodes is that they are unique to the product, so if a supermarket is able to update it's pricing on a given date through a barcode well then the machine that is supposed to refund us this deposit charge should be able to do the exact same using the same barcode
Click to expand...
The problem is an unchanged bar code does nothing to tell you whether the item was purchased after Feb. 1st or whether a deposit was charged if purchased after that date.

In the grand scheme of things, it's unlikely that people were stashing hundreds or thousands of containers so perhaps while non-updated products are still allowed to be sold, they should just refund all containers until the 1st of June. Volume controls could deter chancers, and you'd get more public buy-in.
 
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