Council staff cashing in on Re-turn scheme by rifling through street bins for cans, ministers told

Correspondence seen by the Irish Mirror claims that binmen and restaurant staff are stockpiling discarded containers so they can claim deposits for themselves

By: irishmirror.ie

Jan 01 2025
27
3218 Views

Council staff cashing in on Re

Binmen and hospitality workers are continuing to cash in on the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) by stockpiling discarded containers and bringing them to reverse vending machines themselves, according to a number of complaints received by the Department of the Environment.

The Irish Mirror reported last month that waste collectors and restaurant staff were earning extra money by claiming the deposits on bottles and cans thrown away or left behind by customers.

A number of public bodies, including Dublin City Council and Irish Rail, have also had to take measures to stop people rummaging in bins for bottles and cans, as official figures suggest a significant portion of consumers are not recycling containers through the scheme.

Recent complaints received by Ossian Smyth, the minister responsible for the DRS, show that the practice is continuing, with members of the public reporting that both council workers and restaurant staff are collecting bottles and cans for themselves.

One complainant who wrote to Eamon Ryan, the outgoing environment minister, said they had witnessed council staff removing bottles from street bins as they emptied them, adding: “That is a nice little side line and tax-free bonus for council workers.”

They also expressed their “absolute revulsion” regarding the “insane and shockingly ill thought out scheme”. They criticised “little fat men” running the company behind the scheme, who they claimed were “making absolutely silly money” while the public and the environment pay the price.

Another person wrote to Mr Smyth to report that restaurants that offer table service were charging customers deposits on bottles and cans, but then collect the empty containers from tables and claim the deposits themselves.

Minister of State with special responsibility for the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien

The same individual also alleged that businesses – especially fast-food takeaways – were charging a deposit on imported containers without the Re-turn logo, pocketing the money for themselves.

“I have seen this in a number of places,” they wrote. “They continue to sell cans which are produced in Denmark.

“I think we have left this open to abuse and no checks are being performed on the takeaway businesses who open later in the day.

“We also have a number of small shops still sourcing their drink cans and bottle products from the UK, and they are still charging the DRS charge back onto the customer,” they alleged.

In October, Eamon Ryan received another email from an individual who complained that public bins were being “ransacked” and rubbish was being strewn on the streets by people looking for returnable bottles and cans.

He was also told: “Machines either do not work or are blocked by people who have large bin bags full of stuff. All the receipts issued by their machines are non-recyclable,” the person added.

Earlier complaints seen by the Irish Mirror included photographs from an individual purportedly showing two binmen inserting “hundreds” of drinks containers into a reverse vending machine in Kildare.

They had allegedly picked these out of the commercial or domestic bins of customers who had discarded them without reclaiming their deposits.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.