In this episode of the Reloop Brief, Barry Snedden speaks with Ciaran Foley from Re-turn about how Ireland’s deposit system is performing just over two years after launch.

They discuss the strong progress the scheme has made, including overall container collection now exceeding 90% when mixed recycling is included, a sharp drop in litter and the growing role communities are playing in making the system a success.

The conversation also looks ahead to how Ireland can improve convenience, drive more returns through education and continue building support for separate collection over mixed recycling.

From charity donations and community fundraising to digital refund options and questions around unredeemed deposits, they explore both the achievements and the potential for Ireland’s DRS as it continues to evolve.

Single-use coffee cups have become a major contributor to city waste streams. Around 500 billion single-use cups are disposed of globally every year, and cities spend roughly 30–50% of their urban litter budgets managing single-use waste.

In this extended episode of the Reloop Brief, Barry Snedden speaks with Jenni Hume, who joined Zero Waste Europe’s study tour examining reusable cup systems in Copenhagen and Aarhus. The trip brought together around 70 participants, including NGOs, European city officials, industry stakeholders and reuse experts.

The episode also features the audience Q&A recorded after the first screening of a new short film produced by Reloop and the Marine Conservation Society. The film takes a closer look at how the REUSABLE cup system in Aarhus operates alongside Denmark’s deposit return system.

The panel includes Simon Rossau from the REUSABLE system in Aarhus, Stine Ullmann-Poulsen from Dansk Retursystem, and Catherine Gemmell-Simpson from the Marine Conservation Society.

To view the three films produced as part of this project, visit reloopplatform.org/films

In this year-end special, we rewind through an eventful 2025—the year that Reloop turned ten and The Reloop Brief began. Host, Barry Snedden revisits standout moments from the season: activist Merijn “Plastic Soup Surfer” Tinga live from his paddleboard; Jackie Núñez on moving beyond “straws” to system change; Reloop CEO Clarissa Morawski on hard data proving deposits cut beverage litter; Data & Dashboard Manager Jason Wilcox on turning evidence into action with “What We Waste” and the "Global Deposit Dashboard", as well as Reloop Pacific’s Rob Kelman on Australia becoming the first continent fully covered by deposit systems—and what it takes to keep return rates high.

From grassroots sparks to policy implementation, the episode threads one story: credible data + citizen pressure + informed policy = circular outcomes.

In this episode, Barry Snedden takes us behind the scenes with Jason Wilcox, Reloop’s Data & Dashboard Manager, to see how evidence turns into action. Jason explains the goals of Reloop's two live dashboards: What We Waste and the Global Deposit Dashboard. They discuss the work that goes into building these interactive tools: consolidating disparate spreadsheets, analysing from a “bird’s-eye view” to reveal patterns, and then using simple visuals to tell a clear story, backed by transparent, clickable sources for each data point. Jason also provides a sneak peek at his next build, aiming to quantify which policies most effectively cut litter.

Spain is on the cusp of introducing a national deposit return system for beverage containers by 2026. In this episode, Barry Snedden sits down with Miquel Roset, Director of Retorna, to discuss what must happen next to deliver the DRS on time. They also touch on Portugal’s newly announced DRS start date and why Iberian momentum matters, Retorna’s work co-founding the Global DRS Platform to support deposits across the Global South, and a preview of Madrid’s upcoming Global Conference of Experts - a first-rate gathering of system operators, NGOs, governments and industry to swap lessons and discuss best practice.

For this episode, we visit France as Shraddha Kumar checks in with Reloop’s Director for France and Francophonie, Alexis Eisenberg.

Together, they cover why a national deposit return system is still pending, how a major pilot is rolling out across four regions, and what Reloop's Tour de France de la consigne revealed about the future of reuse and recycling.

Plus, how the EU’s new packaging rules (PPWR) fit with France’s own targets — and whether a mixed DRS could be the way forward.

To mark Reloop’s 10th anniversary EU Green Week event—Reloop Unpacks—we asked participants two simple questions: What will the next 10 years bring for the circular economy and for Reloop? What were your key takeaways?

In this recap, you’ll hear insights from conference attendees, from Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Fair Resource Foundation, Eunomia, and Retorna. Themes converge on a practical roadmap: design for prevention and reuse, make consumer returns effortless (retail take-back), fund with robust EPR, measure with shared, transparent tools, and scale successes globally, especially through North–South collaboration.

In this episode of the Reloop Brief, Shraddha Kumar catches up with Reloop's Director for the Pacific, Rob Kelman, on the latest from Australia.

With several states expanding existing schemes to include wine & spirit bottles in container deposit schemes (and what that means for curbside costs and glass quality), to Tasmania’s strong early returns (~30 million containers since May 2025) and why refund value and retail take-back matter for engagement. The discussion also touches on South Australia’s ban on the tiny soy-sauce fish and the case for a robust, national EPR for packaging.