IRELAND | Lidl Ireland has become the first retailer to hit 100 million DRS returns, processing almost a fifth of Ireland’s total DRS bottles and recycling through its 180 stores.
Since the official launch of the Irish government’s DRS scheme in February, Lidl has processed 100 million eligible bottles and cans and returned more than €17 million in deposits to customers.
Lidl customers in Churchfield, County Cork, have been the biggest recyclers, with more than 1.8 million units returned. Since the scheme launched, Dubliners in Tyrrelstown and Finglas completed the top three, with 1.2 million and 1.1 million units returned, respectively.
With two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) available at every Lidl store in Ireland, the retailer has invested more than €50 million to install and recently upgraded its machines to meet high processing demand.
“We’re delighted to lead the retail sector in contributing significantly to Ireland’s sustainability targets and to reach the 100 million containers returned milestone after just seven months of the scheme being live,” said Robert Ryan, CEO at Lidl Ireland.
“As the first retailer to launch a DRS trial back in 2021 at our stores in Glenageary in Dublin and Claremorris in Mayo, we have prioritised providing a customer-centric experience so that everyone can come to a Lidl store and be confident in using the reverse vending machines to claim back their deposits in an accessible, quick and easy way.”
This investment in the trial and state-of-the-art fitout of machines in stores has been well worth it, and it was clear that customers were voting with their feet.
At the outset of the scheme launch, Lidl planned to process around 3.6 million units per week across 180 stores, which has been surpassed by up to 25 percent in some weeks.
“We’re certainly punching above our weight in processing volumes, and we have recently invested further in upgrading our reverse vending machines in every store to meet high customer demand. I’m delighted that the Irish public is committing to a sustainable future with Lidl.”
According to the latest statistics, customers recycle an average of around 24 bottles and cans per visit at Lidl stores and redeem an average of over €4.20 in deposit payouts each time.
“With high redemption rates across all our stores around the country, it’s clear to see that customers are using the DRS refunds to save on their next shopping bill, and many are even using it to load up their Lidl Christmas Savings Card to help prepare for the festive season ahead. In these challenging economic times, it’s more important than ever that customers are supported to fully embrace the scheme and ensure they keep deposit money spent within the household budget.”
Lidl Ireland has rolled out several ‘Customer First’ initiatives to provide customers with a premier shopping experience and access to convenient services for the benefit of the local community. These include parcel collection pods, pay-as-you-go car and van rental, and its simple-to-use DRS reverse vending machines, which enable everyone in the community to participate in the scheme and easily reclaim deposits paid on DRS cans and bottles.
Lidl Ireland was the first retailer to launch a deposit return scheme trial in September 2021 by installing reverse vending machines at its Glenageary, Co. Dublin and Claremorris, Co. Mayo stores.
Over the trial period, Lidl Ireland collected two million bottles and cans. It voluntarily gave more than €200,000 in money-back vouchers to customers, redeemable in all Lidl Ireland stores.
As part of the trial, Lidl Ireland also collaborated with its suppliers to utilise the recycled PET bottle material in the packaging of its products.
Working with its supplier Silver Hill, up to 30 percent of the total tray weight of the retailer’s brand, Silver Hill duck product was made from bottles collected from the retailer’s DRS machines. This enabled Lidl’s customers to buy back the material collected through the trial period at Lidl’s Glenageary and Claremorris stores, extending the impact of the Irish circular economy.
