Not-for-profit Re-turn board members earned 16% increase
Board members of the not-for-profit deposit return scheme, Re-turn, based in Clondalkin, earned a 16 per cent increase to their pay last year.
The company paid out total compensation of €700,000 to Chief Executive Ciarán Foley and the rest of its 12-strong board.
This was an increase of €100k from a year prior, with chair Tony Keohane, the chairman of the Football Association of Ireland and executives of Coca-Cola HBC Ireland, Britvic, Heineken, Musgrave and Diageo all on the board also.
Re-turn noted that five key management personnel were paid a combined €1.4 million in its latest report.
Launched in 2024, more than 3.2 billion bottles and cans have been returned through the scheme since Re-turn’s introduction to consumers.
The company’s annual report states: “The successful launch of the scheme across the domestic and commercial sectors has seen an increasing volume of containers being returned, as well as growing engagement from consumers, businesses, charities, and communities.”
On July 18, the scheme recorded its highest single day of returns, with 6.15 million containers returned.
In 2025, in-scope containers totalling 1.4bn were returned and a return rate of 76.4 per cent was achieved – an increase on 2024 figures that outlined 877m containers returned at a rate of 53.9 per cent, indicating stronger public participation.
However, Irish consumers still left €60.1m on the table in unredeemed containers, although this is a decrease from the €66.7m the year prior.
The company made a surplus after taxation of €34.4m in the year (surplus for the year ended 31 December 2024).
Direct costs of €64.1m, a growth of almost €20m, are principally in respect of the collection, recycling costs and retailer handling fees of the 1.4bn in-scope containers returned in 2025.
Retailer handling fees of €31.5m, up from €19.2m the year before, and a provision for a grant available to retailers of €4.5m, a rise from €3.2m, are included.
Staff costs of €5.2m were recorded as part of €21m worth of administrative expenses.
