Easter egg sales set to exceed €36.6m

Half of us will drink alcohol and eat red meat today – Good Friday.

Fri, 03 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Evelyn Ring

We are also a nation of chocoholics with Easter egg sales expected to top €36.6m this year.

The nation is also drinking more at Eastertime, as shown by a 9% jump in alcohol sales last year, compared to 2013.

Packaging recycling company Repak anticipate enough beer will be consumed over the bank holiday to fill over 53 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

A family is likely to consume eight Easter eggs and that is up from six per household in 2013.

One in five people will spend up to €30 on Easter eggs this weekend.

You would think that the vast majority of the chocolate eggs are for children but that is not the case – children account for just 8% of the eggs purchased.

Easter is a significant Christian festival but nowadays 60% of people don’t bother with lent.

However, Repak is concerned about all the packaging that will be left when we chomp our way through 17.5m eggs.

Irish householders generated over 19,337 tonnes in general packaging last Easter, on a par with the previous year.

Repak’s chief executive Seamus Clancy said there was an abundance of recycling centres nationwide.

Major confectionery companies including Cadburys, Nestlé and Mars are members of Repak and have reduced the amount of packaging used on their products.

Repak Easter tips.

Compress or fold cardboard boxes flat before putting into a recyclable bin.
Most Easter egg moulded plastic is PET (has a triangle with a number 1 inside). This can go into most plastic bottle collection systems.
Get Easter eggs with minimal and recyclable packaging and carry them home in a reusable bag.
Buy loose fruit and vegetables rather than pre-packed and recycle all glass. Use peelings for compost.