The directors of the company behind the controversial Deposit Return Scheme were paid more than €400,000 last year despite the firm reporting a pre-tax loss of nearly €6.5 million.
The directors of the company include representatives from major drinks producers and retailers, such as Heineken Ireland, Tesco Ireland, Diageo, Britvic Ireland, and the Clada Group. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has raised concerns over a lack of transparency surrounding the scheme and the company established to operate it, with Minister Ossian Smyth admitting that he didn’t know how much its CEO was paid.
Meanwhile, local authorities are having to modify bins to prevent people from breaking into them and rummaging through waste in an effort to find discarded containers with a view to claiming deposits.