Festive recycling set to rise by 20%

HOUSEHOLDERS are set to recycle 20% more of their Christmas and New Year waste as hefty bin charges deter them from throwing out bottles, tins and paper.

Recycling firms are expecting record numbers of householders at the country’s 80 waste depots and 2,000 “bring sites” this weekend.

Repak, which funds recycling initiatives, expects the public to recycle 35,000 tonnes of the 82,000 tonnes of glass, paper and tins used over the festive season.

“People are becoming more environmentally conscious but, in reality, the biggest driver is... bin charges,” said Darrell Crowe of Repak.

“It’s a carrot-and-stick approach: they pay if they throw rubbish out, but they save money if they recycle. It motivates people.

“Last year, we recycled 29,000 tonnes of used packaging, which was 67% up on the previous year, and we expect this year’s figures to be up 20%.”

Mr Crowe said the growth in recycling facilities over the last two years had made it easier for householders to recycle their waste.

Repak estimates that over Christmas alone, Irish revellers used:

* 20 million wine bottles,

* 48m aluminium beer cans

* 45m plastic drinks bottles

* 4m rolls of wrapping paper.

The amount of alcoholic liquid contained in Christmas bottles and cans alone came to 44m litres of drink — enough to fill 29 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Among the 29,000 tonnes of Christmas material recycled in Ireland last year was 9,873 tonnes of wrapping paper, Christmas cards and other papers.

The nation’s householders also recycled 463 tonnes of aluminium drinks cans used over the festive period and 13,872 tonnes of glass drinks bottles and jars.

Firms like Rehab, which collects and recycles waste, said depots would be at their busiest this weekend as householders have a clear-out on the last day of Christmas on Saturday, January 6.

Rehab manager Bob Rowat said recycling of bottles and cans had grown by 15% a year for the last eight years as bin charges begin to bite.

Extra collection services are being put in place to deal with the bumper Christmas collections.

“However, we would appeal to people to stagger their visits to bottle-banks in the New Year to allow time for them to be emptied,” said Mr Rowat.

“If they are full, we would ask householders to be patient and hold on to their bottles and jars until the backlog has cleared.”

Waste glass is taken for treatment at Tallaght, Dublin, and converted into raw material for industry, while aluminium and steel cans are smelted down for re-use.

Recycling resolutions

* 11,850 tonnes of wrapping, Christmas cards and other paper and cardboard.

* 4,225 tonnes of drinks containers and other plastics.

* 555 tonnes of aluminum drinks cans.

* 1,355 tonnes of steel cans used for food and drink.

* 16,650 tonnes of bottles, jars and other glass.