IWMA Disputes Re-turn CEO's Claim on Household vs. DRS Recycling Quality

The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) stated that cans and bottles from household bins are recycled to the same standard as those from the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). This contradicts Re-turn CEO Ciaran Foley's recent claims that household recycling leads to «downcycling» and inferior quality compared to DRS materials.

The IWMA expressed disappointment with Mr. Foley's comments on RTÉ Radio 1, asserting that plastic bottles and cans are recycled identically, whether from home bins or reverse vending machines. They reassured the public that placing these items in home recycling bins ensures proper recycling, with bottles becoming bottles and cans becoming cans.

Mr. Foley had argued that DRS achieves 98% quality for «bottle-to-bottle» recycling, while mixed dry recycling yields significantly less, leading to «downcycling.» However, the IWMA maintains that PET plastic and aluminum from household waste are sorted and recycled in the same manner, sometimes at the same facilities, as DRS materials. Re-turn, however, insists that DRS captures cleaner, higher-quality material due to source separation, which is crucial for closed-loop recycling.