KPMG Irish Open implements deposit project for the first time

It’s a first: The Deposit Return Scheme, introduced nationwide on February 1, is being implemented for the first time at a major sporting event in Ireland. At the KPMG Irish Open, which takes place at Carton House, fans, participants, and on-site staff are encouraged to use the deposit points to deposit plastic bottles or cans.” Golf Ireland fully embraces the scheme,” said Ann Courtney, Golf Ireland’s Sustainability Manager. The Irish government’s deposit scheme is mandatory anyway, but ultimately, it is a question of how it is implemented locally.
One example: Germany also has a mandatory deposit program for plastic and glass bottles. However, this does not mean that deposit return containers are automatically set up for visitors at the three DP World Tour or LET Tour tournaments in Germany. The organizers either sort out the waste to recycle the deposit bottles and receive the deposit fee, or the bottles or cans end up in the residual waste.

Charity projects benefit

At the KPMG Irish Open, two cooperation partners benefit from the project: Special Olympic’s Ireland and National Breast Cancer Research Ireland each receive 50 percent of the deposit amount. “The Deposit Return Scheme is a huge step in our collective efforts to minimize the environmental impact of these events, while also contributing to important causes through our charity partnerships,” said Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly.

Pioneer Waste Management Phoenix Open

While the issue of waste still plays a relatively minor role on the LET Tour at tournaments, a specialist has been found in the USA in the form of the Waste Management company, which aims to completely avoid or reuse waste at golf tournaments. The Waste Management Phoenix Open, which takes place every year in February in Scottsdale, Arizona, is considered the largest zero-waste event in the world and processes 100 per cent of the waste generated by recycling, composting, donating or converting it into energy.