AN EXPERT group of academics, campaigners and politicians will today call for an urgent overhaul of plans for a deposit return scheme (DRS) in Ireland.
Writing in an open letter published today, 15 leading figures will call for Environment Minister Eamon Ryan to urgently expand the scheme to include all drinks containers.
The letter was signed by Fianna Fáil Senator Erin McGreehan and Independent Senator David Norris. They were joined by Professors Jane Stout and Amber Davies of Trinity College Dublin.
VOICE Ireland, Friends of the Earth Ireland, Greenpeace, and An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland all backed the calls.
The Government is set to introduce a DRS for drinks containers in 2021 with a proposed model where consumers pay a deposit on all PET plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans.
But experts want the scheme extended to capture all drinks containers including glass bottles.
Currently the Government is proposing a flat rate €0.20 deposit for all containers in the scheme.
But writing in a national newspaper today experts will instead call for a variable deposit to be introduced. This is where consumers pay a deposit that varies based on the size and material of the container.
Published today the letter states: “The draft design of the scheme proposes a model where consumers will pay a deposit on all plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans.
“With containers of all materials found on Ireland’s beaches, capturing only plastic bottles and aluminium cans is short-sighted.
“We call on the government to expand this scheme to capture more drinks containers, most importantly, glass. This will allow the flexibility of moving the DRS to collect glass bottles for reuse at a future date, which is a more environmentally sound use of materials.”
The letter continues: “Last month a VOICE Ireland poll backed by Friends of the Earth Ireland revealed almost nine-in-10 people want a DRS that is as comprehensive as possible.
“This means a scheme encompassing glass bottles, metal cans and plastic drinks bottles. Some 78 percent too want a variable deposit in which a higher deposit is levied on large plastic bottles and a lesser fee on smaller drinks containers.
“Today we ask the Government to listen to the people and re-think these DRS plans before it’s too late.”
The Government is set to introduce a deposit return scheme in Ireland by 2022.
ENDS
A FULL COPY OF THE LETTER IS AVAILABLE HERE:
WE ASK MINISTER RYAN TO OVERHAUL DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME PROPOSAL
SIR,
MANY of the 10 million people[i] who visit Ireland each year do so to experience our beautiful natural wildernesses. From Horn Head in Donegal to the Copper Coast in County Waterford, our coastline and natural amenities are something to be cherished.
Last year, Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) found five-in-six beaches and waterways were not considered clean enough to meet European standards.[ii] Drinks containers made from a wide range of materials accounted for much of this litter.
The Government is set to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers to combat litter and increase collection rates, and we applaud its leadership in pushing this through. The draft design of the scheme proposes a model where consumers will pay a deposit on all plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans. With containers of all materials found on Ireland’s beaches, capturing only plastic bottles and aluminium cans is short-sighted.
We call on the government to expand this scheme to capture more drinks containers, most importantly, glass. This will allow the flexibility of moving the DRS to collect glass bottles for reuse at a future date, which is a more environmentally sound use of materials.
Last month a VOICE Ireland poll backed by Friends of the Earth Ireland revealed almost nine-in-10 people want a DRS that is as comprehensive as possible. This means a scheme encompassing glass bottles, metal cans and plastic drinks bottles. Some 78 percent too want a variable deposit in which a higher deposit is levied on large plastic bottles and a lesser fee smaller drinks containers.[iii]
Today we ask the Government to listen to the people and re-think these DRS plans before it’s too late.
Mindy O’Brien
Coordinator, VOICE Ireland
Oisín Coghlan
Director, Friends of the Earth Ireland
Senator Erin McGreehan
Fianna Fáil Senator
Senator David Norris
Independent Senator
Prof. John Barry
Director, Green Foundation Ireland
Kieran Flood
Coordinator, Irish Wildlife Trust
Kieran Cummins
Secretary, Eco Advocacy
Louise Edge
Head of Oceans Plastic Campaign, Greenpeace
Gary Freemantle
Interim Chief Executive, An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland
Prof. Jane Stout
Professor of Botany, Trinity College Dublin
Prof. Amber Davies
Principal Investigator in the Environmental Governance Research Group, Trinity College Dublin
Rachel Shawe
Leave No Trace Ireland
Prof. Bramley J Murton
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
Prof. Ben Croxford
Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London
Neil Garrick-Maidment FBNA
Executive Director and Founder, The Seahorse Trust
[i] https://www.tourismireland.com/TourismIreland/media/Tourism-Ireland/Press%20Releases/TI_2017_Facts-Figures.pdf?ext=.pdf
[ii] http://ibal.ie/only-16-of-coastal-areas-and-waterways-are-clean-according-to-litter-survey/
[iii] https://www.herald.ie/news/majority-think-all-drink-containers-should-be-part-of-waste-refund-plan-39644354.html
