Tesco Ireland has invested over €15 million in installing reverse vending machines for each of its 170 stores nationwide as part of its commitment to the national Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), which goes live on Thursday, February 1st.
The state-of-the-art machines will be located inside all Tesco Express, Superstore and Extra stores across the country, making returns more accessible and comfortable for customers to engage with the scheme, particularly during the winter months.
The introduction of DRS means customers will be charged a small refundable deposit on plastic bottles, aluminium, or steel cans, which customers can then claim back by returning the empty container. The deposit cost will be automatically added to the cost of the drink from February 1st.
The retailer has engaged with the operator of DRS, Re-turn Ireland, and from June to October last year, undertook successful trials in its Tesco Extra store in Drogheda and its Malahide Express store.
Speaking about the scheme, Darrin Honer, Country Operations Manager with Tesco Ireland, said the retailer had been working hard to prepare for February 1st.
"The DRS initiative is crucially important as we, as a country, have a job of work to do to reach our required recycling levels," said Honer.
"From June to September 2023, we ran trials in two of our stores, and we were delighted that our customers were very positive about the initiative and commented how easy it was to use."
It will become second nature for customers to bring back their returns as they do their weekly shopping.
"Sustainability is a key priority for Irish consumers, and DRS will require a significant change in consumer behaviour".
Tesco Ireland is proactive in its preparations for February 1st, where it will have a reverse vending machine in each of its 170 stores nationwide. Importantly, it will also have a strong presence in urban centres.
"All our machines will be indoors, which will be more convenient and comfortable for our customers, and of course, we'll have colleagues on hand to guide customers through the process."
Natasha Adams, Tesco Ireland CEO, stated that the retailer was committed to playing its part in building a more sustainable world.
"We've invested €15 million in indoor machines for all our stores, which we hope will help make the transition easier for customers," said Adams.
Working towards increased levels of recycling strongly links to Tesco's sustainable future ambitions, to have a net zero target of 2035 for its own operations and a commitment to cut emissions including those generated by the products it sells and across its supply chains - to zero by 2050.
Tesco is the world's leading retail purchaser of Irish food and drink, with purchases totalling €1.6 billion a year. The company is now a bigger buyer of Irish produce than any country in the European Union, according to Indecon Economic Consultants. Tesco works with over 500 food and drink companies around Ireland and supports over 13,000 farming families. Indecon estimates that almost three-quarters of Tesco's 500 Irish suppliers are small and medium enterprises with fewer than 250 employees.
