Ireland now recycling 66% of used packaging

Ireland is recycling more than two-thirds of its used packaging, having surpassed EU targets for 2005.

Annual Repak results to be released this week will reveal significant advances in the recycling of all packaging materials in both industry and domestic households. The latter is largely due to the introduction of pay-by-use refuse systems.

Repak's scheme, which levies fees on businesses which produce packaging, raised €21 million in €2005, using the money to bring in new industries and to help finance doorstep collections and local authority recycling centres.

Sixty-four per cent of all packaging was recycled in 2005, sending materials such as glass to Northern Ireland, cardboard and plastic to China and liquid containers to Spain and Scotland.

According to Repak, one of the most significant growth areas was in kerbside dry recycling schemes which, boosted by the introduction of weight or volume charges in other bins, rose by 140 per cent.

Bring-bank recycling centres also recorded significant growth with increases of 31 per cent.

Some 372,000 households in 15 new kerbside schemes were introduced last year.

A total of 820,000 household collections and 2,200 bring banks are now supported by Repak.

Over the last six years, some €93 million was invested in recycling used packaging by industries which are Repak members.

However, while the results are good, Repak chief executive officer Andrew Hetherington said continued rapid growth might be more difficult to achieve.

He called for "further action" to be taken against firms who were not in compliance with waste-packaging regulations, and said "loopholes in the law" which allowed some firms to avoid paying for the recovery of their packaging should be closed.

According to the results, Repak received its fee income of €20.6 million from 2,200 member companies. Repak recruited and certified 273 new members in 2005, but it estimates that its membership is still only responsible for between 60 and 65 per cent of all packaging. What is it? A scheme set up under waste- management regulations to recycle packaging waste.

Repak scheme: Q&A

Do companies have to be in Repak? No. Companies with an annual turnover of more than €1 million and which produce more then 25 tonnes are required to join Repak, any other scheme available or recover its own packaging tonnage.

Is Repak just for industry? Only businesses become members but their fees are used to help finance bring centres and kerbside services for households.

What does Repak recycle? Most packaging including metal, plastics, cardboard, wood, glass and paper.

How successful is it? Very. Tonnage topped 565,000 tonnes in 2005, some 65 per cent of all packaging waste and 14 per cent ahead of EU targets.

Ireland now recycles: glass, 83 per cent; wood, 87 per cent; cardboard and paper, 77 per cent; metal, 65 per cent; plastic, 20 per cent.