Lidl becomes first retailer in Ireland to hit 100 million DRS returns

Monday, 30th September 2024: Lidl Ireland has become the first retailer to hit 100 million DRS returns today, with the retailer processing almost a fifth of Ireland’s total DRS bottle and can recycling through its 180 stores across the country.

Since the official launch of the Irish government’s DRS scheme on 1 February 2024, 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 are the biggest recyclers, with more than 1.8 million units returned to date, whilst Dubliners in Tyrrelstown and Finglas complete the top three, with 1.2 million and 1.1 million units returned respectively since the scheme launched.

With two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) available at every Lidl store in Ireland, the retailer has invested more than €50 million to date in installing and recently upgrading its machines to meet high processing demand.

Commenting on the announcement, Robert Ryan, CEO at Lidl Ireland said:

“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.

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. 

Our investment in our trial and state-of-the-art fitout of machines in our stores has been well worth it and it’s clear that customers are voting with their feet. It’s great to see so many people choose to recycle with their local Lidl store and to play their part in helping Ireland transition to a circular economy.

At the outset of the scheme launching, we planned to process around 3.6 million units per week across 180 stores, but this has been surpassed by up to 25% in some weeks. We’re certainly punching above our weight in terms of 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 choosing to commit to a sustainable future with Lidl.”

According to latest statistics, customers are recycling on average around 24 bottles and cans per visit at Lidl stores and redeeming 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”, added Robert Ryan.

Lidl Ireland has rolled out a number of ‘Customer First’ initiatives to provide customers with a premier shopping experience and access to convenient services for the benefit of the local community, including parcel collection pods and pay-as-you-go car and van rental as well as 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 stores in Glenageary, Co. Dublin and Claremorris, Co. Mayo. Over the trial period, Lidl Ireland collected 2 million bottles and cans and voluntarily paid out more than €200,000 in money-back vouchers to customers which were 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 key supplier Silver Hill, up to 30% of the total tray weight of the retailer’s own 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.

ENDS