Irish Rail has decided against installing Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) machines at train stations due to concerns over safety and sanitation issues, as well as the risk of people searching through bins for empty bottles and cans.
It follows reports that bin-raiding for DRS containers had cost Dublin City Council €857,000 since the introduction of the scheme as a result of additional clean-ups and repairs to broken rubbish receptacles.
Irish Rail was asked by a disability organisation last week about the possibility of installing DRS reverse vending machines (RVMs) at train stations, noting that similar facilities had recently been added to transport hubs in Germany.
However, the state-owned company replied that there were a number of “logistical and safety challenges” that currently made the installation of RVMs at train stations “unsuitable”.
These included operational concerns regarding “spillages, hygiene and waste handling”, as well as the safety and sanitation issues created by the risk of people searching through station bins for DRS containers.
Irish Rail also suggested that the installation of RVMs could contribute to congestion in busy passenger areas, “and may increase incidents of antisocial behaviour”. It said retail vendors at its stations had also expressed concerns.
The response was issued to the disability organisation by senior management at Irish Rail following consultation with its environmental team.
“We appreciate the opportunity to consider initiatives that support sustainability and reduce waste, and we welcome engagement from customers who share these goals,” it wrote in an email.
“We recognise the environmental benefits that deposit return and reusable cup schemes can offer in the right settings. However… there are a number of logistical and safety challenges that make these initiatives unsuitable for implementation in our stations at this time.”
Last year, Irish Rail commenced a procurement process seeking to replace station bins with new units specifically designed to stop people from reaching inside for returnable bottles and cans.
It also spent a week trying to design an “androgynous” figure to feature on posters warning members of the public against reaching into bins following an “upsurge” in the practice.
Irish Rail officials said in internal correspondence that an androgynous character was required on the posters due to fears that “gender identity groups [could] come after us” if the image of either a man or woman was used.
A spokeswoman for the company confirmed that it had decided against incorporating the DRS at train stations due to logistical challenges following consideration of the operational requirements.
However, she said that Irish Rail supports the scheme through events-focused initiatives, such as providing large open bins for the Malahude concert series. It remains open to working with the initiative in a greater capacity in the future, she added.
A spokeswoman for Re-turn, the company licensed to operate the DRS, also said it remains open to working with transport operators, local authorities and other stakeholders in practical ways to improve how the system works.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the presence of a reverse vending machine in a location encourages people to search through bins,” she added.
“We encourage everyone to return bottles and cans in the right way: empty, uncrushed and with the barcode visible.”
