Enniscorthy ALDI has highest rate in deposit return scheme
WEXFORD shoppers have returned over one million bottles alone in June across seven ALDI stores, redeeming almost €430,000 in deposit vouchers for their groceries.
June was the most successful month to date for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) at ALDI, as shoppers across Ireland collectively returned 16.7 million items, with Enniscorthy, Gorey, and Wexford Town stores the highest within the county.
However, Enniscorthy has come out on top across the country as the store has processed more items than any other ALDI store in Ireland, with 680,000 items returned to date.
The average ALDI store in Wexford has processed more than 365,000 items since February, worth more than €61,000 in returned deposits. This is well above the national average across all of ALDI’s 161 stores in Ireland, which have handled an average of 264,000 items each since the launch of the scheme, worth almost €45,000 in returned deposits.
Peter Whelan, Managing Director at TOMRA Collection Ireland, supplier of ALDI’s DRS machines, said: “having partnered with ALDI to supply their stores with our DRS reverse vending units, we are delighted to see its success. The volume of bottles and cans being processed through the machines located across ALDI stores show how customers are really embracing the Irish scheme.”
ALDI has also seen a growing trend where customers are adding the value of their DRS vouchers to their ALDI Christmas Savings Card when doing their weekly shop, allowing them to start saving in advance of the festive season.
Prior to the introduction of the DRS, Ireland had one of the lowest rates of recycling of PET and aluminium drinks bottles and cans, with approximately only 60% of all drinks containers being recycled. The scheme was introduced to reduce the amount of litter across Irish towns, villages and countryside, by incentivising consumers to recycle their empty items.
Jason Carolan, Plastics & Packaging Manager at ALDI Ireland commented: “customers have redeemed more than €7 million in cash and vouchers at ALDI’s 161 stores, ensuring that more than 42 million items have been returned for recycling through the scheme. We’re proud to play our part in supporting and operating this scheme, which is a key part of helping to ensure more sustainable and circular economic activity.”