With this year’s Electric Picnic set to take place on 16-18 August, Re-turn, operator of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, is encouraging festival goers to donate their plastic bottles and cans on-site and show their support Return for Children, the charity fundraising initiative in partnership with six of Ireland’s national Children’s charities – Barnardos Ireland, Barretstown, Childline by ISPCC, Jack and Jill Foundation, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, and Make-A-Wish Ireland.
The Return for Children charity initiative represents over 165,000 service users made up of vulnerable children in our communities who are affected by poverty, abuse, neglect and bereavement and also children whose lives are affected by serious childhood illness, in some cases life-limiting. This is the first time that these six children’s charities have come together under one umbrella campaign.
Designated Re-turn donation bins will be located throughout the Electric Picnic site and a Deposit Return facility will give attendees the option to donate their drinks container deposits to the charity initiative or return their plastic bottles and cans and get a voucher.
If attendees prefer to get their plastic bottle and can deposits back, there will be a number of Reverse Vending Machines located near the bar areas of the arena grounds where attendees can receive their vouchers.
To help keep the Stradbally festival litter free on August 16-18, Re-turn has prepared a helpful list of dos and don’ts:
- Designated area: Do set up a designated Re-turn area at your campsite to keep plastic bottles and cans separated from other rubbish.
- Shake it out: Do shake out empty plastic bottles and cans to remove any remaining liquids. This will reduce the potential of build-up in your designated Re-turn area or bin.
- You can leave the cap on: Do leave caps on plastic bottles. Plastic bottles can be returned with or without their caps, but Re-turn encourages festival goers to leave them on as they can also be recycled.
- No crushing: Don’t crush or squash your cans or plastic bottles. RVMs and Manual Return Points need to be able to read the drinks container barcode and Re-turn symbol.
- Don’t bin it: Don’t discard your drinks containers in other bins at the festival. You lose your deposit and waste valuable resources. PET plastics and aluminium can be recycled multiple times to make new plastic bottles and cans, reducing the need for virgin materials.
CEO of Re-turn, Ciaran Foley, said:
“We are delighted to be a part of the Electric Picnic experience this year and work with Live Nation in offering attendees the option to donate to our very worthy charity initiative Return for Children.
“Our Re-turn donation bins and Deposit Return Points give attendees an easy and convenient way to donate or return their empty cans and plastic bottles. The separate disposal of these drinks containers means not only are festival goers recycling optimally but they can also benefit six incredible children’s charities if they wish.
“Re-turn will also have a designated stand in the Electric Picnic arena area, providing visitors with the opportunity to chat with the team and learn about the Deposit Return Scheme’s benefits and positive impact on energy, water, landfill, and CO2 savings.”
Speaking on behalf of the 6 charities, Make-A-Wish CEO Susan McQuaid O’Dwyer commented:
“As we continue our partnership with Re-turn, we are delighted to be part of Electric Picnic 2024 through the ‘Return for Children’ initiative. This ongoing collaboration allows us to unite our efforts to support vulnerable children and those facing serious illnesses across Ireland. The Electric Picnic Festival offers a unique platform to engage the public in a meaningful way, combining the power of community with environmental sustainability.