The first multi-feed reverse vending solution in Ireland is now available at Kelly’s Spar Newcastle

Global reverse vending leader TOMRA Collection has released in Ireland TOMRA R1, a multi-feed reverse vending machine (RVM) that enables recyclers in Ireland’s deposit return system (DRS) to pour over 100 empty beverage containers into the machine in one go – rather than inserting them one by one. It is the first multi-feed RVM available in the Irish market since the start of DRS, on the 1st of February this year.

The TOMRA R1 offers an efficient, more user-friendly and convenient recycling experience. This can attract shoppers to the store and increase the volume of containers returned, driving increased loyalty and revenue for retailers.

Proven great recycling results in more store visits and spending

The TOMRA R1 has been a hit since its launch globally. Now, more than 600 machines are in operation globally, in markets like Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and United States.

The desire for a fast-recycling experience was confirmed in a consumer study conducted by TOMRA in active DRS. 48% of respondents say they would like to use multi-feed reverse vending machines, and were interested in returning containers in bulk, rather than inserting them one by one.

“With the installation of Ireland’s first multi-feed unit, we’re making recycling more efficient and accessible for consumers across the country. This innovation enables faster, high-capacity returns, allowing more people to recycle easily and helping Ireland move closer to our sustainability goals. It’s an exciting step forward for TOMRA and for Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme.” – says Peter Whelan, Managing Director, TOMRA Collection Ireland.

On behalf of Kelly’s Spar Newcastle, Brian Kelly, store owner says:

“We are delighted to introduce Ireland’s first multi-feed RVM, it’s an exciting milestone for all of us here in Kelly’s SPAR Newcastle. The TOMRA R1 will save our customers time as they can now recycle over 100 containers in seconds – while creating a more seamless and enjoyable recycling experience. We are all proud to lead the way in Ireland towards a circular economy and strengthening our commitment to sustainability at our store and community”.

Also commenting on the launch Ciarán Foley, CEO of Re-turn, said:

“We’d like to thank all those in the retail sector and the Scheme approved RVM suppliers for all the work they have done to help to make this important circular economy initiative such a success to date. We would also like to commend the Irish public on how they have embraced Deposit Return and look forward to their continued support.”

How does the TOMRA R1 work?

Recyclers simply open the hatch and pour their empty cans and plastic bottles into the machine and close the lid to begin the counting and sorting process. They then collect their voucher and start shopping. Ineligible containers are returned to the user via the reject chute.

With an accessible product design, the TOMRA R1 is easy to clean and maintain. TOMRA R1 is also the first RVM with an operator interface screen located inside the machine, so store personnel have all the information they need at their fingertips.

For recyclers, TOMRA R1 provides a mess-free recycling experience as there is no need to handle each bottle – consumers can do their part for the planet without getting their hands sticky. TOMRA R1 is also intuitive to use, reduces queues, and offers efficient and fast recycling. When returning over 100 beverage containers, recycling at TOMRA R1 is up to five times faster than using a single-feed solution, since containers do not need to be inserted one by one​. ​

The machine can be found at Kelly’s Spar Newcastle, located at Newcastle Service Station, Main St. Ballynakelly, Newcastle, Co. Dublin.

Features at a glance

Bringing together the premium products from different categories in TOMRA’s reverse vending portfolio, TOMRA R1 can pair with the T9 reverse vending machine to add handling of glass containers and connect to TOMRA’s MultiPac Air high-speed, high-capacity storage cabinets.

TOMRA R1 is powered by TOMRA Flow Technology for industry-leading recognition and system integrity​, and compatible with TOMRA Collection’s full portfolio of Digital products, which add value for both recyclers and retailers.

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The following Retailers are eligible to apply for the RVM grant: 

• Retailers with RVMs which process less than 250,000 containers per year
• Retailers receiving less than €1m in handling fees annually
• RVMs must have consumer availability at an average of 80% to qualify for the basic grant
• RVMs with average available 85% or more each year are eligible for a top-up grant.

For Retailers who wish to apply for the RVM grant ,visit the Re-turn portal, log in or check out our RVM Grant Guide or download from the Re-turn website. The Re-turn team are also on hand to provide support and guidance on next steps and may be contacted at retailers@re-turn.ie

CSNA – which helped negotiate the terms and details of the grant scheme, would like to remind its members of the special package available through Dubco to fund the purchase of the RVM.

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The announcement demonstrates that public support for the Scheme has been growing considerably. The highest number of drinks containers returned in a single day was on Monday August 12^th, with over 3.97 million plastic bottles and cans brought back by people in Ireland.

During the summer, overall, weekends were the most popular time for returns, and this was also the case on August 10^th and 11^th, with over 7.7 million plastic bottles and cans being returned over the two-day weekend.

Progress made since launch

Since the launch of the Scheme, the following number of drinks containers have been returned each month:

• 2 m containers in February
• 20 m containers in March
• 51 m containers in April
• 78 m containers in May
• 90 m containers in June
• 102 m containers in July
• 54 m containers in August to date

CEO of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley, said:  “It is great to see the public’s support for the Scheme and the volume of drinks containers returned in the first six months rise steadily. It has been an exciting summer, particularly with the launch of the ‘Return for Children’ initiative in support of six national children’s charities. By working with high-profile events like Electric Picnic, we are providing attendees an easy way to return their drinks containers, with the option of donating their deposits to a very worthy cause. Overall, recent research has found that we are also seeing a noticeable reduction in litter on the streets of Ireland as an immediate positive benefit of the Scheme and we are excited to see it grow going forward.”

Return for Children

In June, ‘Return for Children’ was launched. ‘Return for Children’ directly supports six national children’s charities, Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack and Jill, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland.

This weekend, festival goers at Electric Picnic will have the option to donate their plastic bottles and cans to the initiative, helping to keep the event litter free while benefitting the six children’s charities.

Re-turn is encouraging event organisers to get in touch at info@re-turn.ie to find out how they can set up ‘Return for Children’ collections at their events.

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Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme has experienced rapid adoption in its first six months of operation. Re-turn, operator of the Scheme, has revealed that Irish consumers have returned over 347 million drinks containers since the launch of the Scheme on 1 February.

Public support for the Scheme has been growing over the past six months with significant rises in the number of bottles and cans being returned each month. In February, at the beginning of the Scheme, 2 million containers were returned which has now risen to an average of 3.2 million returns daily in July, totalling over 102 million returns for the month.

In line with the growing adoption of the Scheme, the Re-turn network of Deposit Return Points has grown by more than 870. There are now over 2,500 Reverse Vending Machines and 323 manual return points nationwide.

Adoption and habits

A key goal of the Deposit Return Scheme is to educate consumers on the benefits of separately collecting and recycling PET plastic and aluminium drink containers, rather than disposing of them in home recycling bins or general street bins.

By returning all in-scope drinks containers to one place through the Scheme, consumers are enabling the collection of a higher quality of recyclate material than through dry mixed recycling. This separation allows for the continuous recycling of aluminium and enables plastic bottles to be recycled up to seven times.

According to a recent survey by Re-turn, 84% of consumers have now used a Reverse Vending Machine* since launch and support for the Scheme currently stands at 74%.

Over half of consumers (59%) bring their empty drinks containers back when their bag or box is full at home while 36% bring them back whenever they do a grocery shop.

When the voucher has been issued, one in five (20%) opt for their cash back while 62% redeem the voucher immediately against grocery purchases.

Return for Children

In June, in partnership with six of Ireland’s leading children’s charities, Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack & Jill, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland, ‘Return for Children’ was launched.

The goal of this initiative is to reduce mixed litter at events and provide attendees with the option of donating their bottle and can deposits at designated Re-turn bins, with all deposit return proceeds going to the six charities.

Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn said: “We have seen incredible engagement with the Scheme during its first six months in operation, particularly considering that this included a four-month transition period. The immediate impact, as shown in the recent Irish Business Against Litter survey, has been more than we could have anticipated. The nationwide research found that almost 30% fewer cans and 20% fewer plastic bottles are littering streets. It is fantastic to see these results in just the first six months of the Scheme, and we are expecting these figures to rise.

We have also seen tremendous participation among community and charity organisations, including schools, GAA clubs and tidy towns groups, who have been collecting containers as part of their fundraising efforts. Over 140 community and non-profit organisations across the country are now working with Re-turn to carry out fundraising efforts which we are supporting by providing facilities and advice for each project. While I believe we have come a long way, we are continuing to explore new ways to grow the adoption of the Scheme in the interest of the environment and communities across Ireland.

Progress made since launch

Drinks Containers returned in Months:

• 2 million containers February
• 20 million containers in March
• 51 million containers in April
• 78 million containers in May
• 90 million containers in June
• 102 million containers in July

Daily Average of Drinks Containers returned in Months:

• 69,000 containers a day in February
• 670,000 containers a day in March
• 1.7 million containers a day in April
• 2.5 million containers a day in May
• 3 million containers a day in June
• 3.2 million containers a day in July

*To provide baseline information on the public’s support of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme and on behaviours and attitudes towards recycling, Re-turn commissioned Bounce Insights to conduct a nationally representative online survey. The fieldwork for this research was completed in July 2024. A 16-question online survey was conducted through the Bounce Insights online research panel (nationally representative, aged 18+, 1,009 survey respondents).

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Re-turn, operators of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, has announced ‘Return for Children’ a new charity fundraising initiative in partnership with six of Ireland’s national Children’s charities – Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack & Jill, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland.

This is the first time that these six children’s charities have come together under one umbrella campaign.

Working with large-scale events such as festivals, concerts, and sporting matches, ‘Return for Children’ will provide attendees at participating events with the option to donate their bottle and can deposits at designated Re-turn bins for charity. The monies raised from the initiative collections will be equally divided between all six charities allowing them to continue their vital work supporting vulnerable and seriously ill children in communities across Ireland.

Collectively, the six charities represent over 165,000 service users made up of vulnerable children in our communities who are affected by poverty, abuse, neglect and bereavement and also children whose lives are affected by serious childhood illness, in some cases life-limiting.

Event organisers who would like to give their attendees the option to donate their bottle and can deposits to ‘Return for Children’ can get in touch with Re-turn by emailing info@re-turn.ie

Ciaran Foley, CEO, Re-turn, said, “We are delighted to announce our new initiative with six of Ireland’s national children’s charities. This campaign will initially be rolled out across large-scale events, allowing visitors to donate to these worthy charities, if they wish to do so. The donation stations will give attendees the chance to make a positive difference to children in local communities up and down the country by donating their bottles and cans. Consumers still have the option to bring their empty plastic bottle and cans back to their nearest deposit return points to get their money back. 

Today’s announcement forms part of our ongoing commitment to supporting local communities across Ireland and we look forward to working with more local community programmes in the coming months.” 

A statement from the six charities collectively said, “We are incredibly proud to come together as a unified group of six national Children’s Charities under the ‘Return for Children’ initiative. This marks the first time all six Children’s Charities are partnering on a single campaign. Our collaboration with Re-turn demonstrates our shared commitment to supporting vulnerable children and those with serious illnesses across Ireland, while also promoting environmental sustainability. By donating your bottles and cans at participating stadiums and events, your efforts will have a direct impact on the lives of children in need. We urge the public to join us in this innovative effort, using the Re-turn bins at major events to help create a caring future for our children and our planet.”

Re-turn will be collecting at the following confirmed events:

• Taste of Dublin 13-16 June
• Electric Picnic 16-18 August
• The National Ploughing Championships 17-19 September

Taste of Dublin, kicking off tomorrow, Thursday 13 June, will have the designated Re-turn bins at the entrance and exit collecting drinks container deposits for the ‘Return for Children’ campaign.

Attendees at events are under no obligation to donate their drinks container deposits. Anyone who would like to get their deposit back, should bring their drinks container to the nearest Deposit Return Points after an event.

Event organisers or local organisations and communities who want to fundraise through Re-turn logo plastic bottle and can collections for their own chosen charities, can get information and guidance on how to best do this by contacting communities@re-turn.ie

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