Last year Ireland continued to exceed EU used packaging recovery and recycling targets by recovering and recycling 652,000 tonnes an increase of 4.1% on 2010, which represents the equivalent carbon savings of taking over a quarter of a million cars off Irish roads in 2011. Of the 652,000 tonnes Repak funded, 89% was recycled and 11% was recovered.

Repak reports increases in packaging recovery/recycling for the following material types: aluminium a 19.6% increase, a 14% increase in glass, a 20.9% increase in plastic, 7.2% increase in steel. However, there was a significant drop in wood recycling due to a sharp drop in commercial activity, particularly in the construction sector.

In 2011, Repak raised Eur25.2 million from member companies, a decrease of 4% on 2010 reflecting the drop in packaging placed on the market, mirroring the drop in the domestic economic activity. During the same period, Repak spent Eur26.1 million in total on supporting packaging recovery in 2011, resulting in a net deficit of Eur891,000.

The 21% increase in plastic packaging recovered primarily reflects strong growth in RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel). 56,000 tonnes of RDF were funded by Repak from contaminated paper and plastic, which would have traditionally gone to landfill, representing an increase of 65% in 2011 versus the previous year.

According to the 2010 EPA National Waste Database Report (latest available figures) Repak recovered 74% of used packaging in that year, with 66% recycled. Since 1998 Repak has helped Ireland grow packaging recycling from under 15%. In 1996 when the packaging directive was first introduced Ireland was one of the poorer EU packaging recycling nations whereas it is now ranked 7th in Europe, according to the latest Eurostat figures for packaging recycling.

Household packaging recovered in 2011 was 208,000 tonnes up 9.7% on 2010, 32% of the total tonnes supported by Repak in 2011. According to the latest available CSO figures, Ireland recovered 152 kilos of used packaging per head of population in 2009, which was the third highest in the EU after Germany and Luxembourg.

Repak currently has 2,291 members including leading domestic and international retailers and FMCG companies: Musgraves, Tesco, O2, The Coca-Cola Company, C&C Group and Largo Foods.

Dr Andrew Hetherington, chief executive of Repak, comments: “While we are confident Repak funding has helped again grow overall packaging recovery and recycling rates, 2011 was a challenging year for Repak. Our scheme is being impacted by decreasing fee income, increasing recovery/recycling costs and the possibility of higher targets exacerbated by lack of enforcement. Furthermore, the current PRI review, while welcome, adds further uncertainty around issues such as the introduction of a potential government imposed packaging tax and the possible introduction of a Deposit and Refund scheme for certain packaging waste types. Such issues could have serious negative impacts on the current success of the Repak scheme.”

Growing prosperity and urbanisation could double the volume of municipal solid waste annually by 2025, challenging environmental and public health management in the world’s cities, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online service. Although some of this waste is eventually recycled, the doubling of waste that current projections indicate would bring the volume of municipal solid waste (MSW) from today’s 1.3 billion tons per year to 2.6 billion tons, writes report author and Worldwatch Senior Fellow Gary Gardner.

As defined in the report, MSW consists of organic material, paper, plastic, glass, metals, and other refuse collected by municipal authorities, largely from homes, offices, institutions, and commercial establishments. MSW is a subset of the larger universe of waste and typically does not include waste collected outside of formal municipal programs. Nor does it include the sewage, industrial waste, or construction and demolition waste generated by cities. And of course MSW does not include rural wastes. MSW is measured before disposal, and data on it often include collected material that is later diverted for recycling.

MSW tends to be generated in much higher quantities in wealthier regions of the world. Members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group of 34 industrialised nations, lead the world in MSW generation, at nearly 1.6 million tons per day. By contrast, sub-Saharan Africa produces less than one eighth as much, some 200,000 tons per day.

The list of top 10 MSW-generating countries includes four developing nations (Brazil, China, India and Mexico) in part because of the size of their urban populations and in part because their city dwellers are prospering and adopting high-consumption lifestyles. Although the United States leads the world in MSW output at some 621,000 tons per day, China is a relatively close second, at some 521,000 tons. Even among the top 10, however, there is a wide range of output: the United States generates nearly seven times more urban refuse than France, in tenth position, does.

Roughly a quarter of the world’s garbage is diverted to recycling, composting, or digestion – waste management options that are environmentally superior to landfills and incinerators. Recycling rates vary widely by country. In the United States, the recycled share of MSW grew from less than 10 percent in 1980 to 34 percent in 2010, and similar increases have been seen in other countries, especially industrial ones.

The growing interest in MSW recovery is driven by a maturation of regulations and of markets for post-consumer materials. The global market for scrap metal and paper is at least $30 billion per year, according to the World Bank. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates the market for waste management, from collection through recycling, to be some $400 billion worldwide. Yet UNEP also estimates that to “green” the waste sector would require, among other things, a 3.5-fold increase in MSW recycling at the global level, including nearly complete recovery of all organic material through composting or conversion to energy.

The gold standard for MSW will be to integrate it into a materials management approach known as a “circular economy,” which involves a series of policies to reduce the use of some materials and to reclaim or recycle most of the rest. Japan has made the circular economy a national priority since the early 1990s through passage of a steady progression of waste reduction laws, and the country has achieved notable successes. Resource productivity (tons of material used per yen of gross domestic product) is on track to more than double by 2015 over 1990 levels, the recycling rate is projected to roughly double over the same period, and total material sent to landfills will likely decrease to about a fifth of the 1990 level by 2015.

WEEE Ireland is celebrating a landmark recycling result, with 1,182 tonnes of electrical waste recycled through 95 free electrical and battery recycling collection days held across the country with Tesco since 2007. That is enough kettles, toasters and televisions to fill every seat in Croke Park, the Aviva Stadium, Thomond Park and Pairc Ui Chaoimh more than 3 times.

Thanks to eco conscious shoppers across the country, approximately 638,000 electrical items have been diverted from landfill since 2007. WEEE items and batteries are potentially harmful to the environment, but when disposed of correctly through a WEEE Day, can be treated and recycled into new products.

WEEE Ireland and Tesco have announced their schedule of collection days for the summer months. Free recycling events are scheduled in the following stores:

* Sat 26th May – Tesco Stillorgan, Dublin

* Sat 26th May – Tesco Roscommon

* Sat 16th June – Tesco Birr, Offaly

* Sat 23rd June – Tesco Artaine, Dublin

* Sat 23rd June – Tesco Mallow, Cork

* Sat 30th June – Tesco Castlebar, Mayo

* Sat 14th July – Tesco Claremorris, Mayo

* Sat 14th July – Tesco Ballinrobe, Mayo

* Sat 28th July – Tesco Tramore, Waterford

* Sat 11th August – Tesco Clearwater, Dublin

* Sat 11th August – Tesco Tullow, Carlow

* Sat 18th August – Tesco Tipperary

* Sat 18th August – Tesco Rathcoole, Dublin

Conor Leonard, collections manager at WEEE Ireland, says: “Our weekly collection days across the country continue to grow in popularity. We can only organise these events when we have suitable locations that are central to local communities and Tesco have played a crucial part in their success. We have already held 95 events with Tesco in the last five years and we have lots more planned for the summer. We encourage everyone to get involved and attend your local collection event and get rid of those unwanted items.”

Michelle Mahon, corporate responsibility manager at Tesco Ireland, adds: “At Tesco we want to help our customers to act in an environmentally friendly way, and holding waste recycling days in conjunction with WEEE Ireland is one part of that programme. As well as recycling electrical items and batteries at the Tesco collection days, please remember that you can recycle your batteries for free all year round at Tesco, simply pop them in to the blue WEEE Ireland boxes in store. We also will recycle any small electrical items on a like-for-like basis in store.”

Coca‑Cola Enterprises, the UK’s largest soft drinks producer, and ECO Plastics have officially opened their groundbreaking joint venture, Continuum Recycling, which is the world’s largest plastics processing facility. Completed on time and on budget, the £15 million facility is a first for Great Britain, and brings the recycling process full‑circle, with used plastic packaging sorted and reprocessed domestically, before returning to store shelves as part of another bottle.

Opened by UK Environment Minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach, the Continuum Recycling plant will more than double the amount of bottle‑grade recycled plastic (rPET) previously created in Britain, and will allow CCE to meet its commitment to use 25% rPET in all its bottles by the end of 2012. The factory is located at ECO Plastics’ existing site in Lincolnshire, which, with the additional capacity, becomes the world’s largest and most sophisticated plastics recycling facility, capable of processing 150,000 tonnes of mixed plastics a year, including 40,000 tonnes of bottle‑grade rPET pellet.

Continuum Recycling will be used this summer by Coca‑Cola as part of an initiative to collect Coke and additional PET soft drinks bottles and turn them back into new bottles on the shelves within six weeks.

Continuum Recycling is the first time that the UK beverage and recycling industries have formed a long‑term strategic partnership and will provide CCE with high‑quality rPET for a minimum of ten years. It will save around 33,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking over 15,715 cars off the road. 30 new skilled jobs have been created for the local area as a result of the partnership.

“Our investment in Continuum Recycling shows that we are serious about setting the industry standard for sustainable packaging,” comments Simon Baldry, managing director of Coca‑Cola Enterprises. “This is a first for the industry and an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to build a low-carbon, zero waste business here in Great Britain.”

ECO Plastics is Europe’s leading ethical plastic bottle recycler. The business began re‑processing post consumer plastics in 2006 and has over the past five years invested over £17 million to quadruple its processing capacity and triple the factory footprint. During early 2009 it became the first UK company to receive food grade accreditation for its rPET resin.

Top performing EU Member States have recycling rates of up to 70 % and bury virtually nothing, whilst others still landfill more than three-quarters of their waste. A new report from the European Commission explains that by combining economic instruments the best performers have turned waste from a problem into a resource.

A mix of landfilling and incineration taxes and bans, producer responsibility schemes and pay-as-you-throw prove to be the most effective tools in shifting waste streams to more sustainable paths. If the EU is to meet the objectives set out in the Resource Efficiency Roadmap – zero landfilling, maximising recycling and reuse, and limiting energy recovery to non recyclable waste – these economic instruments will need to be introduced more widely across all Member States.

Experience in the Member States shows that a combination of the following instruments is the best way to improve waste management:

* Landfill and incineration taxes and/or bans – the results of the study are unequivocal: landfilling and incineration rates have decreased in countries where bans or taxes have driven up costs for landfilling and incineration.

* ‘Pay-as-you-throw’ schemes have proved very efficient in preventing waste generation and encouraging citizens to participate in separate waste collection.

* Producer responsibility schemes have allowed several Member States to gather and redistribute the funds necessary to improve separate collection and recycling. But cost-efficiency and transparency vary greatly between Member States and between waste streams, so these schemes need careful planning and monitoring.

There are significant differences in waste management between Member States. According to a Report published by Eurostat, the most advanced six Member States – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Sweden and The Netherlands – landfill less than 3 % of their municipal waste. At the other extreme, nine Member States are still landfilling more than 75 % of their municipal waste. Recent statistics published by Eurostat show continuous progress in some new Member States, where recycling rates are increasing rapidly. Municipal waste generation has also decreased in several Member States probably due to the economic downturn.

Replicating these instruments in all Member States will be necessary if the EU is to meet the targets set out in its waste legislation and its targets for resource efficiency. This is why the possibility of making their use legally binding in some cases will be assessed in a 2014 review of EU waste targets. The Commission is also including sound waste management in conditions for receiving certain European funds.

Meanwhile the Commission is encouraging Member States to implement existing waste legislation more effectively. Waste management and recycling industries in the EU had a turnover of Eur145 billion in 2008, representing around 2 million jobs. Full compliance with EU waste policy could create an additional 400,000 jobs within the EU and an extra annual turnover of Eur42 billion. Improved waste management would contribute to achieving several objectives and targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart sustainable and inclusive growth.

People in Wales recycled 49% of their waste between October and December 2011. This is a record increase of 6% against the same three months in 2010. The latest report published by the Welsh Government on local authority municipal waste management shows that for the second successive quarter people have recycled almost half (49%) of their waste.

The statistics also report that residual household waste has continued to fall. During October – December every person in Wales produced 54 kilograms of waste, a drop of 5 kg per person from the October – December 2010.

“The key thing now is that we continue to build on our recycling success so that we can meet our challenging targets of 70% recycling by 2025 and zero waste by 2050,” says Environment Minister, John Griffiths. “I am very hopeful that continued effort in 2012 will see us achieving more than 50% recycling in the spring and summer months. This would mean we are diverting more than half our waste away from landfill and gaining value from the majority of our rubbish and really will be a significant milestone.”

He adds: “Not only does recycling divert rubbish away from landfill and reduce carbon emissions, it also saves on energy and ensures we are reusing precious resources that would otherwise rot in the ground.”

In the EU27, 502 kg of municipal waste was generated per person in 2010, while 486 kg of municipal waste was treated per person. This municipal waste was treated in different ways – 38% was landfilled, 22% incinerated, 25% recycled and 15% composted.

The amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across Member States. Cyprus, with 760 kg per person, had the highest amount of waste generated in 2010, followed by Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland with values between 600 and 700 kg per person, and the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Portugal with values between 500 and 600 kg. Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary and Bulgaria had values between 400 and 500 kg, while values of below 400 kg per person were recorded in Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia and Latvia.

Incineration represents half or more of waste treatment in Denmark and Sweden

The treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In 2010, the Member States with the highest share of municipal waste landfilled were Bulgaria (100% of waste treated), Romania (99%), Lithuania (94%) and Latvia (91%).

The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were observed in Denmark (54% of waste treated), Sweden (49%), the Netherlands (39%), Germany (38%), Belgium (37%), Luxembourg (35%) and France (34%). In ten Member States incineration was equal to or below 1%.

Recycling was most common in Germany (45% of waste treated), Belgium (40%), Slovenia (39%), Sweden (36%), Ireland (35%) and the Netherlands (33%). The Member States with the highest composting rates for municipal waste were Austria (40%), the Netherlands (28%), Belgium (22%), Luxembourg (20%), Denmark (19%) and Spain (18%).

Recycling and composting of municipal waste together accounted for 50% of waste treated or more in Austria (70%), Belgium and Germany (both 62%), the Netherlands (61%) and Sweden (50%). In five Member States less than 10% of waste was recycled or composted.

Repak Ireland has welcomed the findings on packaging recycling contained in ‘Environmental Indicators Ireland 2012’, the report just published by the CSO, which highlights Ireland’s ever improving approach to the recycling of packaging. It is part of a detailed piece of research, by the CSO, based around environmental data.

Dr Andrew Hetherington, chief executive of Repak Ireland, comments: “This National Survey clearly demonstrates the success of Ireland’s packaging recycling model with key targets for recovery all being exceeded. The statistics contained in the report, when analysed, confirm Ireland’s progressive performance in packaging recovery and recycling over the past decade and our steady assent up the league table of European Member State performance in this area.”

He adds: “Specifically, it shows that Ireland’s 2011 recovery target of 60% under the EC Packaging Directive (94/62/EC) was achieved and surpassed by 2008 and I can now confirm that we have achieved a 74% recovery rate for 2010.”

The statistics show that by 2009 Ireland was recovering 152Kgs per capita of packaging waste, the third highest in the EC behind Germany and Luxembourg.

“It is also very encouraging to note that the amount of municipal waste sent to landfill had fallen to just below 1.5 million tonnes in 2010, down from some 2 million tonnes in 2007,” he points out. “While a significant portion of this can be attributed to the decline in economic conditions, the increase in recovery of packaging waste, which now accounts for some 59% of municipal waste, had a significant impact here also.”

Repak’s Packaging Prevention Programme was a further factor in the decline of packaging waste generation, as the total level of packaging waste decreased by some 18% between 2007 and 2010. This initiative, which receives financial support from the EPA, involves Repak working with industry to optimise all packaging placed on the Irish market.

Since its inception, Repak has helped to divert in excess of 5.7 million tons of used packaging from landfill sites and has invested over Eur225 million in packaging recycling, growing it from under 15% in 1998.

In Ireland, 636 kg of municipal waste was generated per person in 2010, the fourth highest in the EU. 57% of this waste was landfilled, 4% was incinerated, 35% was recycled and 4% was composted.

In the EU27 overall, 502 kg of municipal waste1 was generated per person in 2010, while 486 kg of municipal waste was treated per person. This municipal waste was treated in different ways3: 38% was landfilled, 22% incinerated, 25% recycled and 15% composted.

The amount of municipal waste generated varies significantly across Member States. Cyprus, with 760 kg per person, had the highest amount of waste generated in 2010, followed by Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland with values between 600 and 700 kg per person, and the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Portugal with values between 500 and 600 kg. Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary and Bulgaria had values between 400 and 500 kg, while values of below 400 kg per person were recorded in Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia and Latvia.

The treatment methods differ substantially between Member States. In 2010, the Member States with the highest share of municipal waste landfilled were Bulgaria (100% of waste treated), Romania (99%), Lithuania (94%) and Latvia (91%).

The highest shares of incinerated municipal waste were observed in Denmark (54% of waste treated), Sweden (49%), the Netherlands (39%), Germany (38%), Belgium (37%), Luxembourg (35%) and France (34%). In ten Member States incineration was equal to or below 1%.

Recycling was most common in Germany (45% of waste treated), Belgium (40%), Slovenia (39%), Sweden (36%), Ireland (35%) and the Netherlands (33%). The Member States with the highest composting rates for municipal waste were Austria (40%), the Netherlands (28%), Belgium (22%), Luxembourg (20%), Denmark (19%) and Spain (18%).

Recycling and composting of municipal waste together accounted for 50% of waste treated or more in Austria (70%), Belgium and Germany (both 62%), the Netherlands (61%) and Sweden (50%). In five Member States less than 10% of waste was recycled or composted.

Ireland’s packaging recovery and recycling rates continue to exceed EU packaging recycling targets, according to statistics contained in the latest EPA National Waste Report. The EU target for packaging recovery was 60% in 2011 with Ireland’s recovery rate of about 74% for 2010, placing it in the top six amongst other and longer established European countries for packaging recycling.

“The major investment made by Repak and its members over the years, which was €29 million in 2010, has seen packaging recycling rates increase exponentially from 15% in 1998 and proves the major role packaging recycling has played in helping Ireland meet its other EU landfill diversion and bio waste targets,” says Dr Andrew Hetherington, chief executive Repak Ireland.

He continues: “While this success in packaging recycling is to be applauded, the whole area of recycling continues to be a major challenge for this country and requires constant vigilance, particularly with regard to enforcement. In this regard Repak looks forward to participating in, and sharing its experience with, and the view of its members in the forthcoming PRI review which, we understand, will be evidence based, transparent and will take an in depth analysis of the entire recycling landscape to aid the minister determine future policy in this area.”

Repak was founded by Irish industry in 1997 to facilitate and grow packaging recycling. It is ‘a not for profit’ packaging recycling scheme, funded only by industry members. Based on the principle of producer responsibility, Repak was established to help businesses meet their legal obligations to fund the recovery and recycling of the packaging on the goods or services they supply, as set out in the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations 2007.

Envirogreen Recycling is urging Phil Hogan TD, the Minister for Environment, to place a blanket ban on mattresses being land filled. Industry figures indicate that in the region of 800,000 mattresses and beds annually are being sent to landfills throughout the country. According to Envirogreen Recycling 100% of the components of mattress can be recycled if dry and each mattress recycled saves over 23 cubic yards of landfill space.

Mark Smyth, sales director for the company, says that whilst Envirogreen was making great progress with the number of mattresses it was recycling, tough new legislation was required to put Ireland among Europe’s elite recycling nations.

Conor Guy, managing director of Envirogreen, notes that “implementing new regulations to recycle mattresses would create over 750 new positions throughout Ireland for the sector”. Conor Guy also maintains that the recycling of mattresses is the only viable non-landfill option as the steel content of mattresses and the inability to shred the springs, would rule out the recovery of mattresses at the proposed Poolbeg incinerator.

Envirogreen Recycling currently provide a commercial and residential mattress recycling service and in the three months it has operated the service, recycled over 5000 mattresses, on what it describes a “ small marketing budget”. Envirogreen Recycling was named Repak Recycler of the Year in 2011.

The Retail Jewellers of Ireland has joined forces with WEEE Ireland to launch a major recycling drive through its members in Ireland. The recycling initiative is offering a 20% discount to customers who bring back their old watches for recycling in RJI member stores during the month of August.

During the month of August, RJI members will give a 20% allowance off participating brand watches when customers bring in their old watch for recycling. Tony Cahill, President of the RJI, says: “Our members are already actively involved with the EU WEEE programme but realise that many members of the public are unaware that old watches must not be binned and sent to landfill. Through the WEEE recycling initiative, all the metals, glass and resins in unwanted watches and other materials in batteries can be recovered for use again in industry. We are encouraging the public to make the most of this incentive during the month of August.”

CAPTION;

Pictured at the launch of the National Watch Scappage and Recycling Month were (l-r): Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland, model Nadia Forde, and Elizabeth O’ Reilly, WEEE Ireland compliance manager.