In Ireland we know a thing or two about resolutions. I think many of us can agree that settling on a good New Year’s resolution can be trickier than it seems.

Should you join the gym or decide to take up running? Focus on saving or decide to travel more? These are the burning questions many of us ask as the new year looms.

If you're looking to make an impactful change for 2026 why not start small by Re-turning your plastic bottles and cans. Not all of us are recycling the right way just yet but let's change that this year.

While you might not think it, Re-turning plastic bottles and cans instead of placing them in the mixed recycling bin at home is a small act that makes a big difference.

When you put them in your mixed recycling bin, they get mixed together with dirty takeaway containers, bits of cardboard and other non-recyclable materials which inevitably slip in. This leads to cross-contamination, which affects the quality of the material that can be recycled.

The right way to recycle your plastic bottles and aluminium cans is to bring them to your local Reverse Vending Machine (RVM). By Re-turning as opposed to using your recycling bin, there is less contamination, so more containers can be recycled again and again.

When you Re-turn it Right, your plastic bottles and cans are automatically separated: no sorting is needed on your side. So the plastic bottles stay with the plastic bottles, and the aluminium cans stay with the aluminium cans.

Separating these containers ensures cleaner material for recycling, meaning a much higher quality of recycled material is produced. This means your plastic bottle is more likely to become another bottle, and your can is more likely to become another can, creating a circular economy for drinks containers.

So if you’re looking for an easy New Year’s resolution to follow and stick with, start small, and Re-turn it Right.

With almost 2,800 reverse vending machines, 1,000 manual return points, and 4,400 puls  clubs and organisations collecting cans and plastic bottles for fundraising, it's never been easier to make an impactful change.

So start 2026 by setting a small, simple habit that can make a big difference – Re-turn it Right.

Find your nearest location here.