Re-turn machines in supermarkets rejecting cans & bottles bought in other stores

Re-turn machines located in certain supermarkets have been rejecting bottles and cans that were purchased in other stores, forcing customers to lose their deposits or take their containers elsewhere.

It’s the latest issue to have emerged as part of an ongoing Irish Mirror investigation into the embattled deposit return scheme, which was introduced on February 1. There have been multiple reports of reverse vending machines used by at least two supermarket chains not accepting bottles and cans that were purchased in other shops – or even in different stores of the same supermarket chain.

A spokesman for Re-turn said these issues represent “a minuscule fraction” of the 877,000 transactions that take place on average every day as customers return 2.5 million containers. Áine Wellard from Dublin told the Irish Mirror that she has repeatedly encountered problems returning containers to her nearest Tesco store because she got them via home delivery from a different branch of the supermarket.

Read more: Troubled deposit return scheme may need to be changed following EU legality challenge

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The problem was explained to her by staff at the store, and she was told on a number of occasions to take her bottles and cans home because their Re-turn machine would not accept them. Ms Wellard, who is blind, explained in a formal complaint to Re-turn that this has resulted in particular difficulties in her situation. “I am not in a position to bring them back home again as I have a guide dog in one hand, my backpack is usually full of shopping, and I need to keep my other hand free, so [I] cannot carry a bag of unwanted cans,” she wrote.

She was disappointed with the response that she received from the company, which bizarrely just stated: “Please be advised, the steps you have taken are the correct procedure. Thank you for contacting Re-turn consumer support.” Ms Wellard commended the efforts of Tesco Ireland CEO Natasha Adams, however, who did her best to resolve the issue after it was brought to her attention. Tesco did not respond to a request for comment.

“I have to say, fair dues to her, she got back to me in person by email and the problem was sorted out,” she told the Irish Mirror. “But then I went to another branch of Tesco and encountered the very same problem.”

A spokesman for Re-turn said issues concerning individual drinks containers and reverse vending machines are primarily handled by suppliers and retailers. “While Re-turn can be notified of such issues, they are typically resolved within hours, and specific cases may not always be brought to our attention due to the rapid resolution process,” he said.

“Re-turn is dedicated to ensuring the efficient operation of the [reverse vending machine] network and promptly addressing any issues to enhance consumer experience and operational efficiency.”

Briefing material sent to Minister Ossian Smyth by Re-turn CEO Ciaran Foley at the end of March showed that 80 percent of containers were being accepted by machines. Where containers were rejected, a “product not found” or “other” error was recorded. Mr Foley told the minister in his correspondence that a “piece of work” had begun with machine suppliers “to better understand the ‘other’ error”.

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