Almost 100,000 tonnes of packaging waste generated by consumers this Christmas

Irish consumers will generate nearly 100,000 tonnes of packaging waste this Christmas. Picture Denis Boyle

Consumers in Ireland are set to generate nearly 100,000 tonnes of packaging waste this Christmas.

The new finding comes as it is also revealed that Irish businesses are among those most likely to sell online in the EU.

Non-profit environmental organisation, Repak estimates that Irish consumers will have generated 95,000 tonnes of packaging over the Christmas period.

Repak, which assists businesses to minimise packaging waste and recycling measures, said that while some online retailers leave their packaging waste on the Irish market without contributing to the cost of recycling, over 3,500 of its members do so.

The organisation's chief executive Séamus Clancy said: "With 95,000 tonnes of packaging waste expected to be generated in Ireland over the festive period, it’s important that we all try to recycle more and better. Since the start of September, all plastics can go into the recycling bin."

Currently in Ireland, we are exceeding the EU plastic recycling target of 22.5% but achieving plastic recycling targets of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030 under EU law will require a stepping up, he added.

"Between the start of 2019 and the end of 2020, recycled plastic packaging tonnes increased by 9%, so we are doing well but have to keep up the good work."

Common items such as bubble wrap, cardboard boxes, bread wrappers, and chocolate and biscuit trays can all be placed in the recycling bin this Christmas, Repak said, following changes introduced in September.

It urged consumers and businesses to join its Team Green initiative, which was launched in 2018 to help increase recycling rates for packaging waste.

Repak research showed that 75% of Irish consumers planned to be more eco-conscious this Christmas, with 43% purchasing eco-friendly presents.

Online sales

Its findings come as new European data reveals that Ireland, along with Sweden, comes just behind Denmark for the highest share of firms selling online in the EU.

Eurostat, the data analysis wing of the European Commission, said that 38% of Danish businesses sold online in 2020, the same share as the year previously. 

Ireland and Sweden came in second with 34% each, registering a 1 and 3 percentage point increase compared with 2019. 

The three nations are far ahead of their fellow EU nations, the data show - some 22% of EU enterprises had e-commerce sales and 19% reported that their online sales reached at least 1% of their total turnover.

Italy and France joined Romania, Bulgaria, and Luxembourg in the bottom five, all with less than 13% or less.

Eurostat said that it was most common to sell to clients in their own country (22%), with sales to clients in other EU countries (9%) and the rest of the world (5%) less frequent.

Around a fifth of firms conducted online sales using websites or apps, while selling through their own websites were almost just as lucrative, the data show.