Research shows 50% of Irish residents aim to be eco-friendly at Easter

Repak calls on the nation to recycle packaging this Easter

• A quarter of Irish residents (25%) will buy eight chocolate eggs or more this Easter
• 3 in 4 people (76%) will spend up to €40 on Easter eggs this weekend
• 52% of people plan to recycle all Easter egg packaging
• 54% are confident they know what can go into recycling bins but 41% admit they are not always sure
• Last year we chomped through 17.7 million Easter Eggs – a figure expected to rise in 2017
• Irish consumers expected to generate 20,969 tonnes of packaging waste this Easter – a 7% increase on last year’s figure (19,650)

Tuesday, 11th April 2017: New research* from Repak has revealed that Irish residents are set to enjoy a chocolate filled Easter, with 25% planning to buy eight eggs or more.

The findings from the latest Repak survey has revealed the detail around Ireland’s Easter recycling habits.

A nation full of good eggs!

Over half of Irish residents (52%) are planning to be a good egg and recycle all Easter egg packaging. 41% plan to make a big trip to the recycling centre during or after the Easter holidays and 61% think people who put incorrect material in the recycling bin should be financially penalised for contamination. In addition, 58% agree that recovery operators such as Panda are right to put cameras in bins to determine who the waste contamination culprits are.

With 100,000 tonnes of waste packaging being sent to landfill each year, the findings provide recyclable food for thought and reinforce how crucial it is for consumers nationwide to recycle over the Easter period.

Common Contamination Mistakes

While over half of those surveyed (54%) are confident that they know what can be put into a recycling bin, 41% have commented that they are not always sure.

Repak has discovered the most common recycling mistakes made by Irish people:

A significant 15% recycled cling film, 10% put plastic shopping bags in the rubbish bin, while 5% have contaminated a recycling bin with unrinsed food tins, glass bottles or jars

While 86% plan to recycle at home during the Easter holidays, 12% have confessed that they don’t always clean materials before putting them into the recycling bin

18% only ‘sometimes’ rinse out any residues of food or drink containers before placing them into a dry recycling bin

#RepakYourEaster

Commenting on today’s survey results announcement, Marketing and Communications Manager of Repak, Laura Sherry said: “There is a significant influx of waste packaging over Easter and we’re asking the nation to recycle Easter egg packaging during the festivities.

While Ireland continues to progress in terms of packaging recycling and best recycling practices - such as taking our own shopping bags with us to do our weekly shop - we still have a long way to go when it comes to educating ourselves on what can, and indeed can’t, be recycled.’’

Repak has some top tips for Irish households on how to be a good egg this Easter;

• Only put recyclable items in the recycling bin.
• Compress or fold cardboard boxes flat before putting them into the recycling bin.
• Fold the aluminium foil from Easter eggs.
• Ensure all plastic food containers, milk cartons and drinks containers are clean before putting them in the recycling bin.
• Contamination is a big problem in recycling bins so please ensure that clean items only are put into the recycling bin.

For more information on Repak, see RepakRecycling on Facebook, and @RepakRecycling on Twitter and Instagram, or www.repak.ie

*refers to a survey conducted of 471 people by Repak in April 2017.