TU Dublin Wins Silver at Inaugural Re-turn Awards
TU Dublin enjoyed major success at the inaugural Re-turn Awards, held at Croke Park on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, with the University's Student Re-turn Group from the Bolton Street campus winning the Silver Award and a €2,000 prize.
Led by Aleksander Biegalski, Alex Siedlok and Cosmin Clopotaru, the Student Re-turn Group was recognised for its outstanding efforts in promoting the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) and encouraging sustainable recycling practices on campus.
Organised by Re-turn, the operator of Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme, the awards celebrate the creativity, commitment and community spirit of students, colleges, schools and teachers who have embraced the scheme through fundraising initiatives, sustainability projects, awareness campaigns and recycling drives.
TU Dublin had seven shortlisted entries across several categories and secured multiple awards on the night:
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Ingenuity Award (€700) - SHERL from the Blanchardstown campus won from a shortlist that also included TU Dublin campaigns Bin Blitz and Is it Full?
What Re-turn said about the winner: "SHERL from TU Dublin Blanchardstown tackled Re-turn participation as a practical systems-design challenge. With no campus reverse vending machine and distant return points, the team identified structural barriers and proposed a smart loyalty-app and give-back bin model, creating a clear, replicable framework for improving campus collections".
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Role Model Award (€700) - Karansing Mauracheea, Security Officer at TU Dublin Grangegorman, won this category after being shortlisted alongside representatives from UCD and ATU Sligo
What Re-turn said about the winner: "Karansing Mauracheea, a security officer at TU Dublin Grangegorman, led by example by using everyday interactions to encourage students to choose Re-turn over general disposal. His consistent, practical support helped make sustainable behaviour more visible on campus, with students continuing to use the bins without prompt".
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Re-turn Judge's Special Commendation (€700) - Awarded to "Is it Full?", a campaign led by Likun Fang.
What Re-turn said about the winner: Likun Fang's Is it Full? project brought an exceptional and unexpected level of innovation to the Re-turn Awards. The free, community-powered app shows the live status of the Re-turn machines across Ireland, helping users find available machines, report issues and plan returns more easily, with a Skerries pilot now exploring coordinated collections and local charity donation matches".
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Re-turn Idea Award -TU Dublin campaigns #SWAG and Team Cat Wagon, both from the Blanchardstown campus, were shortlisted.
The awards recognise innovative and impactful ways of using the Deposit Return Scheme to benefit campuses and communities while promoting sustainability and supporting fundraising initiatives.
The University's success across several categories reflects the enthusiasm and commitment of TU Dublin students and staff in driving positive environmental action and encouraging others to Re-turn It Right.