Overview
- Documents obtained by media in late May show Dublin City Council spent about €857,000 over two years dealing with people removing returnable bottles and cans from public bins since the 2024 Deposit Return Scheme launched.
- The council says scavenging for the 15–25 cent refunds turns containers into a monetary commodity that drives people to open litter bags and leave other waste strewn around streets, reducing perceived safety and harming the city centre’s appearance.
- Council waste crews estimate that bin interference diverts about three hours in every 24-hour cleaning cycle and values that diverted staff and fleet time at roughly €351,000 per year unless measures succeed in stopping the behaviour.
- Physical fixes have cost the council substantial sums but had limited effect: 110 bin surrounds cost about €40,000 and replacement locks on large 'Big Belly' bins totalled more than €115,000 with continued problems reported.
- Officials are negotiating with Re-turn over operational solutions and are considering policy options such as restricting rebate access to households with registered waste contracts, a change the council warns could limit access for some residents.