Both SuperValu and Centra are offering their customers a chance to donate money from the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to charity.

It is estimated €47m of bottles will be returned by customers of the two chains this year.

The retailers, who are both part of the Musgrave Group, have teamed up with their own charity partners SuperValu is supporting AsIAm, Ireland’s autism charity, while Centra is partnering with the Irish Cancer Society.

The hope is that customers will donate their returned money from the scheme to the charities.

Between the SuperValu and Centra networks, there are more than 700 DRS machines.

The campaign will be rolled out across 352 machines in the Centra network and 359 machines in the SuperValu network.

By linking everyday recycling to meaningful causes, the initiative empowers customers to make a positive impact with every return. 

The DRS was brought in as the main driver to achieve Ireland’s recycling target of 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029.

The initiative is being rolled out on an initial three-month basis with the two charity partners but it is expected the charity partners will change during the year.

Luke Hanlon, Managing Director SuperValu and Centra, said: “The Deposit Return Scheme has been a success across our SuperValu and Centra stores since the rollout last year.

"I’m delighted that we have taken this step in partnering with two of Ireland’s most prominent charities in AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity and the Irish Cancer Society.

"This initiative gives our customers a simple and effective opportunity to support great causes while increasing awareness of the Deposit Return Scheme as a whole.

"We look forward to working with both charities to ensure the partnership reaches its fullest potential.”

Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm: “Autistic people deserve to have the same chance in life as everyone else, to be included, to be understood, and to be part of their community.

"We are delighted to partner with SuperValu as part of the Deposit Return Scheme.

"Customers donating their DRS vouchers to AsIAm at SuperValu stores nationwide is a powerful way for people to show their support to make Ireland a more inclusive place for the at least one in 20 people in Ireland who are Autistic, and our families.

"Autistic people face significant barriers and waiting lists to access the most basic of supports, we are working to scale our support nationally to respond to unprecedented demand and funds raised through initiatives such as this one are critical to this effort”.

While Averil Power, CEO, Irish Cancer Society, also praised the partnership: “This is a really important and valuable partnership for the Irish Cancer Society, and I’d like to thank everyone at Centra for bringing us on board.

"We hope this initiative makes it as easy as possible for customers to support our work and play their part for the planet.

"We can't be there for patients and their families and invest in groundbreaking cancer research without your support."

Pictured top are (L-R) Robert Shields, Store Manager SuperValu Killester; Owen O Connor, Customer Assistant SuperValu Killester and Bobby Palmer, HR Manager SuperValu Killester; at SuperValu Killester