Vytal The Reuse System, Ireland’s first digital reusable platform will be piloted for takeaway food and beverage packaging. Customers of participating cafés and restaurants in North Co. Dublin can order takeaway coffee and soups, as well as several other food items, in specially produced packaging, which can be reused again and again, reducing the number of single-use containers in circulation. This initiative will help prevent significant waste streams and is an important innovation for the circular economy in Ireland. Three state-of the-art reverse-vending machines will allow for the easy return of takeaway food packaging to its point of origin seven days a week.
Supported by Dublin City Council, Eastern Midlands Waste Region (EMWR) and Canada Life Reinsurance, the pilot will be rolled out in St Anne’s Park, on Bull Island and in surrounding areas in Dublin 3 and 5. The pilot aims to:
- Promote awareness of reuse behaviour and its benefits.
- Identify social and economic barriers to reuse.
- Reduce waste generation & littering.
- Reduce transport emissions associated with the manufacture and delivery of single use packaging.
This pilot programme is being managed through Vytal The Reuse System, an app-based platform which allows consumers to sign up and ‘borrow’ individually assigned QR coded packaging for free. The packaging is then tracked from point of order to return and reabsorption into the system, ready for reuse. The Vytal App is a stand-alone system that can be easily downloaded from the Google Play Store / Apple Store.
Local restaurateur and one of the founders of Vytal Ireland Michelle Moloughney said, “Our vision is a society where reusable packaging is the norm. We want to deliver to the Irish food service industry and its customers a viable and practical reusable food and beverage container system that works for everyone in terms of cost, convenience, and functionality. The potential benefits of such a system to Ireland’s environment and sustainability goals are significant. We have been working with local community groups who are fully supportive of this initiative to reduce packaging waste.
Michelle added, “We are proud to launch this ground-breaking initiative in our local communities - Bull Island is part of the UNESCO Dublin Bay Biosphere and St Anne’s Park is in the buffer zone for the biosphere. Both amenities are extremely popular and are an essential green lung for residents of the area and from across Dublin.”
Speaking about the pilot, Hugh Coughlan, Regional Coordinator with the Eastern Midlands Regional Waste Management Planning Office said, “We are delighted to partner the ‘Choose to Reuse’ pilot programme. We all know the impact that single-use food and beverage packaging like coffee cups is having on the environment, both in terms of the resources required to produce them and how often they end up as litter. People want to make better choices but sometimes the options just are not there. This initiative is a fantastic example of private enterprise responding to the challenges posed by the move to a more circular and sustainable society working in collaboration with public stakeholders. We believe that both businesses and customers will embrace this pilot and we are confident that it will prove to be highly successful. We hope to see it then being rolled out throughout Ireland.”
For a full list of participating café and restaurants and Sensi reverse vending machine locations and further details on the Vytal Ireland app, please visit www.vytalireland.ie
