Dublin-based Repak funded the recovery of 652,000 tonnes of used packaging in 2011 – up by 4.1% from 2010. Eighty nine percent of this was recycled and 11% was recovered.
Dr Andrew Hetherington, Repak CEO, said: “I would like to thank all our members, committed recyclers and all stakeholders for their continuing support in 2011, without which Ireland's targets would not have been achieved.
“We also welcome the decisive changes to the landfill charges by the minister for the environment, Phil Hogan TD, which gives greater clarity on waste strategy and better supports the economics of all types of recycling.
“While we are confident Repak funding has helped again grow overall packaging recovery and recycling rates, 2011 was a challenging year. 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.”
Materials recycled by weight and percentage increase