The Point Of No Re-Turn?

Re-Turn at Tesco MAY24

atest press release from Jennifer Whitmore TD, issued on Friday, but, the weather’s been too good to avoid this weekend…

Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has called for the government to seek accountability for the lack of accessible machines for the new bottle Return Scheme.

During an Oireachtas Committee Meeting this week, Deputy Whitmore cited the lack of audio prompts on the machines, the height of the bottle return slot, and the lack of braille instructions as major issues. In 2022, Deputy Whitmore successfully amended the legislation governing this programme to include disability access as a requirement.

It now seems that the government has not paid attention to those requirements.

Deputy Whitmore said: “The Government must seek an urgent explanation from the operators of the Re-turn scheme as to why thousands of Reverse Vending Machines were not disability-proofed before being brought into use. Significant accessibility issues with these machines have been raised by disability representative bodies, including the Irish Wheelchair Association, Vision Ireland and the Disability Federation of Ireland since the scheme came into operation in February.

“We have seen these machines installed in shops across Wicklow, and it is very welcome to see so many people taking advantage of these across our towns. However, people with disabilities have as much a right as anyone to participate in the circular economy as anyone else in Wicklow.

“These are all issues that were flagged well in advance of the introduction of the scheme and before the machines were installed in more than 2,000 outlets around the country. It is important to remember that 1 in 4 people in Ireland live with a disability, and I know many constituents across Wicklow who are frustrated by this scheme, which was not designed with their participation in mind. For those with a physical disability or visual impairment, this is often not possible.”

Whitmore went on to detail the specific issues not addressed by Re-Turn when commissioning the machines.

“Problems include the hole location where you place your bottle or can, which is too high for many wheelchair users. This poses a particular difficulty if the item is rejected, meaning the user must reach into the hole to retrieve the can or bottle before trying again.

“It seems to me that there was insufficient engagement with disability groups before introducing the Re-turn scheme. If we want a just and fair transition to a more climate-conscious economy, we cannot leave so many people behind regarding schemes like the bottle return.

“Any tweaks that would have been needed to disability-proof these machines should have been made before the launch of this initiative, as having to retrofit them now could prove costly. Members of our communities with disabilities seem to be an afterthought to this government, and that is not good enough.

“The issues they have raised with this scheme must be immediately communicated to Re-turn Ireland so that practical solutions can be found,” concludes Whitmore.