Ahead of the February 1st launch of the new DRS Scheme, SuperValu and Centra have placed reverse vending machines (RVMs) in 540 stores throughout Ireland's 26 counties.

A total of 667 reverse vending machines are accessible to customers at 219 SuperValu and 321 Centra stores nationwide.

One important outcome of trials conducted in stores that started in early 2023 is that customers will notice two machines in places with more foot traffic in order to boost convenience and efficiency when returning containers.

"We are delighted to roll out the DRS scheme across our 540 SuperValu and Centra stores as part of our strategy to build more sustainable communities and play our part in protecting the planet," stated Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu and Centra.

"Investments in DRS are a great addition to other environmental projects that merchants are working on, such installing solar panels, energy-saving fridge doors, LED lighting, and packaging reduction efforts. These group efforts demonstrate our dedication to daily sustainable growth and minimising our overall climate impact. We and our merchants realise the crucial role we play in assisting communities and ensuring that we make the implementation of the DRS scheme as straightforward and accessible as possible for our customers.”

With the installation of reverse vending machines throughout the network of stores, SuperValu and Centra predict that 90 percent of recyclable PET bottles and AUL cans sold in-store will be returned, and that over 320 million containers will be collected yearly.