Returning cans and plastic bottles
- Thread starter someCitizen
- Start date
I think the machines scan barcode - so that has to be perfect for scanning.Do the cans still have to be fully round and undented to get the refund ? I'm annoyed at (sit in) cafes and restaurants who charge the deposit but don't give it back when you finish only to tell you they're exempt and you need to take it elsewhere. This has now become their tip from me so they servers lose out. (I always gave 30c before)
The machines also do some basic anti fraud checking, so there's an expected weight and size... so minor dents are ok, but too much squashed up and it would fail that check.
Gordon Gekko
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Confession…I’m recycling less now because of the hassle
Is there a time limit on cashing in the Re-Turn receipt?
I ask because after a party in the house, I collected cans and plastic bottles and headed to Lidl yester morning,
Value was €10.. Proceeded to the checkout with a few items in the basket to be told the receipt was more than 45 days old, and wont be accepted??
Informed the cashier the ink is still wet as only printed 10 minutes ago..
She rescanned again, and said it was ok. It was only after I left the store, I thought , surely that cant be right, it should have the same monetary value as cash, to be spent when you like.
If, there is a time limit on using the receipt, it would a disgrace, as I could see folk storing them up to be used. I hope she was mis-informed. I didn't examine the receipt as she accepted it, but, would like to see the next receipt to see if there is a printed time limit in which its to be used.
I ask because after a party in the house, I collected cans and plastic bottles and headed to Lidl yester morning,
Value was €10.. Proceeded to the checkout with a few items in the basket to be told the receipt was more than 45 days old, and wont be accepted??
Informed the cashier the ink is still wet as only printed 10 minutes ago..
She rescanned again, and said it was ok. It was only after I left the store, I thought , surely that cant be right, it should have the same monetary value as cash, to be spent when you like.
If, there is a time limit on using the receipt, it would a disgrace, as I could see folk storing them up to be used. I hope she was mis-informed. I didn't examine the receipt as she accepted it, but, would like to see the next receipt to see if there is a printed time limit in which its to be used.
Howth Head
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I'd be very interested to know what the additional "carbon footprint" of this scheme is - including the energy used to manufacture, transport, power and service these giant metal washing machine-like contraptions. Given that prior to this, green bins were already being collected, with plastic bottles and cans (and continue to be collected without them) there's no real energy saving on the other side of the equation.
LIDL seem to be making up the rules as they go. They have been by far the worst of the major supermarkets for this sort of thing when it comes to Re-turn. People were complaining they bought multi-pack box of cans, Re-turn logo was on the box, deposits were charged but they were no barcodes on the cans inside so impossible to redeem.
It is surprising as LIDL should have experience of this from elsewhere and from their trials.
Normally I'd advise you to complain to Re-turn but they are another useless quango.
The receipts have no expiry date and no expiry date is printed on them, but I would not leave them too long or the ink would wear off.
The savings will, if it works, be based on a reduction in the volume going to landfill or incineration and being disposed of in the streets, beaches, or along the sides of roads. The percentage being recycled was low and falling meaning we were also going to be facing large fines for missed targets.
Very true given a very similar scheme has been in operation in Germany for more than 20 years. Their plastic packaging recycling rates are now ~70% compared to our ~30%.
T McGibney
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The basic problem was and remains that most streets, parks, beaches and town squares didn't and still don't have recycling bins. Basically if you wish to dispose of a can or bottle in a public place, most likely it will end up in landfill.
The "large fines for missing targets" schtick is funny given that the scheme now imposes these fines on the populace.
Pinoy adventure
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Small Tesco multipack of 12 kids juice is charged €1.80 deposit yet when you try return them the machine doesn’t except them.
clinteastwood
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Its not an energy saving mechanism. If that was the case, you would be against the collection of your bins and simply throw everything away. If you were concerned about the miniscule carbon delta, you would go and do your shopping by walking/bicycle. Perhaps you do.
The simple fact of the matter is, despite what the Kremlin bots would imform, is that plastic recycling rates in Eire are only c.60%. This is LOW, not High despite what Quango Joe would say.
The target rate is 75% in 2025 (by EU law....unless you prefer to leave ) and 90% by 2030.
We've signed up at the last minute - no surprise there.
The reason from a personal point of view, is to remove and discourage the wanton throwing of plastic bottles into the laneways, byways, beaches of our country.
So, forget about the rest. If you can live in a cleaner environment, why not embrace it. I have noticed an improvement already around the bus stops which I pass each morning.
As for carbon footprint , I wager none of us give a real twopence - I'm off on holidays by air regardless and a record 32 million passengers last year agree with me.
clinteastwood
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Why ?- did you seek out the manager of Tesco to simply empty the machine of its contents. Or was there a R symbol on the bottles.
The interm period is now over since Jun1.
clinteastwood
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Sad but true.
Aswell, unfortunately, a certain section of society seems to have the energy and money to buy the cans/bottles of 'pop', carry them around, but myseriously all of this energy disappates when the contents of the bottle are consumed and they have no quams fecking the bottles on the ground, hedges, beaches and anywhere else.
So much for Lucazade!.
That's not the rate for the items in scope of the scheme, and this scheme is not about recycling targets, it is about collection targets. There's no guarantee the PET bottles collected under this scheme will be recycled.
If you have figures showing what the collection & recycling rate was for the items in scope of the scheme, feel free to post. But I suspect whatever figure you think you are quoting is for a general catch all for all plastics, not the items in scope of this scheme.
Also, I think 'Eire' is the name of a football team, sounds like the kinda schoolboy mistake a Kremlin bot might make
T McGibney
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In fairness, the vast majority of this stuff ends up either in public waste bins or in home recycling bins. It's hard to blame people for not wishing to carry around eg dripping cans in their pockets or handbags.
BTW, you would be well advised to edit out the expletive in your post above as AAM has a zero tolerance attitude towards bad language.
clinteastwood
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Thanks Tommy!.
I think people can empty their drinks and carry them. When they were half full, it wasnt an issue.
The bus stops near me are full of waste, the hedges destroyed, the local spar makes the money and the populace cleans up their shtie.
We are not a clean nation, we are getting better though and it surprises me what lengths people do go to to keep places clean e.g. the tidy towns folk picking litter all year round and people collecting their dogs jobbies.
its a minority, - but thats the same for everything
I think people can empty their drinks and carry them. When they were half full, it wasnt an issue.
The bus stops near me are full of waste, the hedges destroyed, the local spar makes the money and the populace cleans up their shtie.
We are not a clean nation, we are getting better though and it surprises me what lengths people do go to to keep places clean e.g. the tidy towns folk picking litter all year round and people collecting their dogs jobbies.
its a minority, - but thats the same for everything
Another common complaint about the scheme is the lack of bulk return option at current Council waste depots, where you can just dump in a bag of cans or bottles and get cash \ voucher redeemable anywhere. This would also be more convenient for charity \ cleanup groups.
Wouldn't we all, but you know that none of our Green Government politicans will ever disclose such information :-(
To get back on topic, the machines at Aldi always work and I haven't had anything rejected.
I'm fascinated by how many cans and bottles people are returning. I drop off at most 5 a week before getting my shopping, but see people with massive loads. I had assumed one person was using the machine for the first time and working through a backlog, but I saw them leaving with a trolley full of small bottles of water and juice. It seems to me that educating people not to buy these products in the first place would be a better scheme.
Dunnes and ALDI I have had the best experiences with so far.
Supervalu and LIDL poor. To take an example, Supervalu Sutton have 1 single large machine. This is a very large store. Dunnes Donaghmede of similar size has 3. The SV machine takes longer to fill up, but means all customers have to join single queue.
The machines at LIDL frequently out of order and are fussy.
And if anyone sees a working machines in Dealz please shout, they seem to be there for ornamentation only.
Similarly, places in Dublin actually taking manual returns.