A local man has quit his job in order to work full time at returning plastic bottles under the new Deposit Return Scheme.
Billy Can (32), a civil engineer, told DTTN he realised the return scheme was a gold mine after reading about a local boy making a few quid collecting discarded bottles.
“My old job I worked 40-50 hours a week, with a daily two hour commute. Why should I bother with that when I can rake in money just rummaging through rubbish around town?”
Can has calculated that to make the €300 required to cover his weekly living expenses he needs to return 1,200 large containers (25 cent deposit) or 2,000 small containers (15 cent deposit).
“It sounds like a lot, but you’d be amazed at the amount of bottles and cans people just chuck. I only started yesterday and I’ve already got 27 containers. I’m making bank!
I am a realist and appreciate that some weeks will be up and down, so I’ve cut down on luxuries – I’ve moved out of my apartment and sold my car. All I need is my tent and my trusty stove. This is real living! I’ve beaten the system!”
Can ended the interview by swiping DTTN’s bottle of water, even though we hadn’t finished it