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Environment

Washington chemical tank disaster kills 1 worker with 9 missing - 'no hope of rescue'
Environment
A chemical tank holding nearly a million gallons of a highly corrosive liquid has imploded at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co in Washington state, killing one person with a further nine missing
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Super El Niño warning as Europe heatwave looms and record temperatures predicted
Weather
A Super El Niño is now expected to form between June and July this year, with sea surface temperatures edging toward record highs as the powerful climate pattern could bring extreme weather to Ireland
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Re-turn planning bulk-feed machines that can take large volumes of bottles and cans
Recycling
Consumers currently have to hand-feed individual cans and bottles into reverse vending machines one at a time with the barcode facing upwards
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Dangerous roads putting Irish people off cycling, new survey finds
Cycling
Just 13% of Irish people cycle at least once per week, while a striking 82% admit to rarely or never riding a bike
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Irish Rail buying new bins designed to stop people rummaging for DRS containers
Irish Rail
The semi-state company says the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has created an "issue" with people ransacking bins in search of returnable bottles and cans
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Government binned digital Re-turn option that would have kept household collections and saved €80m a year
Recycling
The proposed scheme would have used a smartphone app, allowing consumers to recycle containers in their own domestic waste bins, as well as saving 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually
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One in five Re-turn cans and bottles still ending up in bins, waste firms say
Recycling
Data from the Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) shows that collection companies are handling significant volumes of Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) material
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Government faces questions on 'outrageous' lack of transparency around Re-turn scheme
Recycling
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín says the doors of the controversial recycling scheme must be 'flung open' to public scrutiny
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As Ireland marks a year of the controversial Re-Turn scheme, we ask: Is it working? Or is it a shambles?
Environment
Environmentalist John Gibbons says one billion bottles and cans being returned shows it's a success, while columnist Larissa Nolan says it's more drudge for hard-working families who were already recycling.
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Cannus horribilis: A look back at 12 months of controversy as Deposit Return Scheme turns one year old
Recycling
One year after the launch of the "once-in-a-generation" recycling scheme, the Irish Mirror recalls 12 months of complaints and controversy that have marred its introduction
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Calls for climate change to be prioritised in Programme for Government
Environment
Friends of the Earth wants commitments to reduce polluting emissions in line with national and EU limits and end reliance on dirty, expensive fossil fuels
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Council staff cashing in on Re-turn scheme by rifling through street bins for cans, ministers told
Recycling
Correspondence seen by the Irish Mirror claims that binmen and restaurant staff are stockpiling discarded containers so they can claim deposits for themselves
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Man defecates in bottle and inserts it in Re-turn machine in dirty protest over controversial scheme
Recycling
The minister responsible for the Re-turn scheme was told in an email that the disgruntled consumer had lodged a "large turd" in a reverse vending machine - and got his 25 cent deposit back
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Environment minister defends 'far from perfect' COP29 climate agreement
Climate change
Eamon Ryan said he was proud of the role that the Irish team played in the negotiations, and said the deal provides a foundation that can be built upon
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Re-turn denies spreading misinformation by claiming scheme 'doesn't cost public any money at all'
Recycling
The company behind the Deposit Return Scheme has admitted that it received €500,000 of taxpayers' cash from the government last year
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COP29: Mary Robinson leads fight against fossil fuel firms as campaigners demand 'payback'
Environment
Fossil fuels are in the spotlight again as COP29 gets under way in Azerbaijan
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Re-turn directors paid €400,000 despite company reporting €6.5 million loss
Recycling
The firm behind the controversial Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) also spent €1.18 million on marketing last year ahead of the launch in February 2024, newly filed accounts reveal
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Re-turn has numbers of bottles ending up binned - but isn't telling minister
Recycling
EXCLUSIVE: The company behind the Deposit Return Scheme has been getting key figures from retailers since May, but is refusing to publish them because they 'wouldn't be an accurate measure of our performance'
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Man brings bottles on 10,000-mile journey due to lack of Re-turn machine at Dublin Airport
Recycling
Exclusive: The disgruntled passenger told Minister Ossian Smyth that he had to carry two empty bottles with him to Asia to reclaim 50 cent on his return
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16 million vouchers dispensed by recycling machines are not recyclable, Re-turn admits
Recycling
EXCLUSIVE: The Deposit Return Scheme, which has the stated aim of reducing waste and increasing recycling, is printing around 150,000 vouchers a day on non-recyclable paper
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Consultation begins on Re-turn machine accessibility - seven months after scheme was launched
Recycling
The company behind the deposit return scheme is facing an action for discrimination by a disability advocate, who claims that reverse vending machines are "systematically inaccessible"
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'I'll give you my carbon footprint up your hole': Offaly pub hits back at criticism after lighting first 'turf fire of season'
Offaly
The famous JJ Houghs in the Offaly town of Banagher didn't hold back
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Dublin City Council spending €25k to modify bins and stop people scavenging for Re-turn containers
Recycling
Exclusive: People have been breaking the locks on public bins and scattering trash in a bid to claim deposits for discarded bottles and cans
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Consumers binning bottles and cans as swarms of wasps infest Re-turn machines
Recycling
A former minister says people are having to 'beat back' the insects to reclaim their deposits at reverse vending machines, and several have been stung
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