Dublin's students and faculty didn't hold back at the inaugural Re-turn Awards. Nearly 200 people gathered at Croke Park to celebrate the innovative ways third-level institutions are embracing the Deposit Return Scheme to support sustainability, local charities and community action.
Hosted by Spin 1038 presenter Emma Nolan, the event recognised groups from all over Ireland. However, individuals and teams from UCD, TU Dublin and DCU walked away with a massive share of the honours for their creativity and leadership.
The 'Is It Full?' App Takes Centre Stage
One of the standout moments for the capital was a Judges' Special Commendation awarded to Likun Fang. The computer science student from TU Dublin Grangegorman developed a brilliant free app called Is It Full? that relies on community power to show the live status of Re-turn machines across Ireland.
The app allows users to check if nearby machines are available, full or out of service. It also helps people search for locations and save their favourites. After responsibly flagging an exposed API key, Likun actually teamed up with the Re-turn team directly. Now, they're running a pilot project in Skerries to see how the platform can coordinate collections and match local charity donations.
Big Wins Across the Board
While Atlantic Technological University Sligo took home the overall Gold Award and the €5,000 top prize for their campus-wide Bottle and Can Return Initiative, Dublin's universities secured wins in almost every other category.
B Corp fashion designer and guest judge Aoife McNamara praised the standard of the entries. She highlighted how inspiring it is to see sustainability bringing people together to create a genuinely positive impact for local communities and important causes.
Re-turn CEO Ciarán Foley echoed those thoughts, noting that the response to the awards exceeded all expectations and proved how small everyday actions can drive meaningful change.
Dublin's Roll of Honour
Here is a look at all the Dublin-based winners who were recognised for their brilliant work:
- TU Dublin, Bolton Street: Silver Award for the Student Re-turn Group
- TU Dublin, Grangegorman: Judges’ Special Commendation for the Is It Full? Project
- UCD: Built in Behaviour Award for Kirsten Cherry's individual campaign
- DCU: Creative Campaign Award for the BEd Early Childhood Education Students
- TU Dublin, Blanchardstown: Ingenuity Award for SHERL
- UCD: Social Impact Award for the UCD Students’ Union
- TU Dublin, Grangegorman: Role Model Award for Karansing Mauracheea's individual campaign
- DCU: The Big Re-turn Idea Award for Oscar Hunt Quinn
Setting the Standard for the Future
These awards highlight just how much of an impact third-level institutions can have when they get behind a national initiative. Since the Deposit Return Scheme launched in 2024, colleges across Dublin and the rest of Ireland have clearly shown that recycling isn't just about reducing waste. It's about educating the next generation, supporting local communities and finding innovative solutions to everyday problems. With the bar set this high in its very first year, the future of the Re-turn Awards is looking incredibly bright.
