Musings On The Re-turn Deposit Return Scheme Via The Garden Brewery, Uvala House Sour, 3.5% & Valovi Florida Weisse Pink Guava Stawberry & Lime, 6.9%

The Re-turn Deposit Return Scheme has been in action for a few months now.

From what I can see people are taking to it. I’ve encountered queues waiting to use the machines, kids picking up litter to get some credit to spend, sports clubs collecting for funds – which all seems positive to me.

Yet the distractors, dinosaurs & deadweights are still out there with their moaning & groaning about it’s implementation.

Sadly some of these voices emanate from Irish Beer.

Rather than engage with the positives of the scheme & encourage it’s use – they snipe negativity from the sidelines.

I expect any company I purchase from to have a positive attitude towards reducing waste & increasing recycling rates – if Irish Beer isn’t willing to demonstrate that I’m happy to pick up beers from a Croatian company – available in my local petrol station shop – that judging from the plethora of labels on the side of their cans seem willing to embrace recycling.

And Irish Beer is moaning about re-labelling?

It’s my opinion companies are more worried about their profits than showing willing to engage with Re-turn – a not-for-profit company attempting to reduce waste & recycle more.

But with beer it’s all about the taste – so I poured a couple of glasses.

Uvala House Sour, 3.5%

A pale yellow colour with a decent head. Fresh fruity & tart aromas. Clean, citrusy & fresh palate with a dashing of dry tartness on the rear. Reminds me more of gooseberries rather than pineapple – but a very nice drinker!

Valovi Florida Weisse Pink Guava Strawberry & Lime, 6.9%

This one has a cloudy orange appearance. Much heavier aroma, strawberry, mango, touch of citrus & juicy tropical fruits. Rich palate feel, crowded with fruits. Gentle tart on the rear to counteract the sweetness. Doesn’t feel like 6.9%. Very entertaining.

Thoughts

Really enjoyed these beers. Sour is a style I’m partial to & Garden Brewery certainly deliver gorgeous examples of this genre. It’s an added bonus I can get my deposit returned too.

If a Croatian Brewery can get it together – why can’t Irish ones do similar?

Sláinte

Re-turn website here.

Garden Brewery website here.

My 1st Trip Using The Re-turn Recycling Scheme

A selection of cans had accumulated – plastic bottles are rarely purchased.

Most were purchased prior to the introduction of the scheme on 1st February 2024 & none appeared to display the Re-turn logo.

I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The 1st machine I went to was working & happily accepted 7 of the cans.

A receipt was issued & promptly spent instore.

The remaining cans went to the usual recycling bin.

They consisted of tonic-cans which at 150ml are exempt from the scheme, the Tennent’s purchased prior to implementation & another can bought outside of Ireland.

The ones accepted included a local craft beer firm, a large Scottish outfit & a pan-european beer firm from Croatia.

I find all the I’m-all-for-recycling-but brigade missing the point entirely.

The scheme is an attempt to curtail the wasteful excesses causing damage to the environment & peoples health. It also aims to boost recycling rates of ever increasingly scarce resources.

Carrying on as we have done is no longer an option & we all have to make changes.

Yes there are costs, there is added paperwork for producers, there are inconveniences for customers – but polluting the planet should no longer be acceptable.

I’ve already bought a couple more cans from a Croatian Brewery that appears to be compliant with the scheme. I’ll be thinking twice about purchasing form Irish Breweries that bemoan the scheme.

It does help that the Croatian beer is very tasty indeed!

The Deposit Return Scheme – DRS – in Ireland. What is it? & Why is it coming in?

The Deposit Return Scheme – DRS – is coming in to play on 1st February 2024 in Ireland.

It’s a scheme designed to boost recycling rates in the state by giving back to customers an additionally added recycling fee charged on all in-scope liquid containers – be they alcoholic or not.

For further details consult various government websites or https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/waste-and-recycling/deposit-return-scheme/

I welcome it’s implementation.

The world’s natural resources are not inexhaustible & human pollution is causing real environmental damage.

The DRS is an attempt to redress that by focussing on recycling rates within the wider drinks industry whose plastic & aluminium cans litter many a street & roadside verge.

Government statement on https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/b3f2f-minister-smyth-launches-irelands-deposit-return-scheme/

Yet with every new initiative there are detractors.

I was a bit disappointed by the recent Lacada Brewery statement.

Rather than talk about the environment they said the it’s no longer cost effective for them to continue in the Irish market.

That smacks of putting profit before the environment in my book.

It’s also suggestive of Lacada perhaps struggling a bit – which a lot of small breweries are in the current economic situation – but it’s a bit of a red-herring to blame it all on the DRS.

This then led into a thread I can only describe as a bunch of bemoaners, begrudgers & plain anti-voices to the DRS venting.

Quite frankly – anyone who is opposed to the DRS in my book is against implementing seriously any type of positive steps to improve the appalling waste problem that currently exists both within Ireland & worldwide.

I find it extremely bad publicity for Lacada Brewery & the wider beer community in general.

As for Beer Nut?

On his suggestion I’ve deposited him in the digital trash bin.

Pity I didn’t get my 15 cent recycling fee in return!

Sláinte

Header image courtesy https://fishbio.com/tiny-plastic-pieces-found-in-seafood-and-marine-life/