The Re-Turn scheme is not as successful as many believe and questions need to be asked about the system not least about its green credibility and where the €90m in unclaimed tax paid by consumers has gone. These are the concerns of Aontú Councillor Sarah O'Reilly who asked Cavan County Council to get her the answers to her queries.
When consumers buy a drink in a can, carton or plastic bottle they pay a 15 or 25 cent charge or 'tax' at their retailers and, if they return that container for recycling through a ReTurn vending machine they are repaid the tax.
Research carried out by Cllr O'Reilly and the council has established 347 million single-use containers have been returned through the scheme since its inception in February, which means 603 million containers have not been returned. This equates to €90m paid in tax, which has went unclaimed and Cavan County Council research confirmed this money is kept by the operator. The Aontú councillor, who has always highlighted and lobbied green issues says the scheme also does nothing to reduce plastic use and that we should be re-using instead of recycling:
