25/09/2007 -

Repak Recycling Week 2007

Sligo County Council is calling on householders to increase their recycling efforts during this year’s 7th annual Repak Recycling Week which runs from the 1st – 7th October.

This year's, theme is “Keep Recycling – let’s get it sorted” and is supported by a nationwide educational and promotional campaign.  Repak Recycling Week aims to get as many people recycling the maximum amount of packaging during the week and help Ireland achieve and exceed its 2011 EU packaging recovery target of 60%. 

The campaign will have a special twist this year with a dedicated day given to the 5 packaging material types (Glass, Metals, Plastics, Wood and Paper/Cardboard) to heighten the consumer’s awareness of the various methods of recycling and the various materials that can be recycled. Monday will focus on paper and cardboard, Tuesday on aluminium, Wednesday on glass, Thursday on plastics and Friday on Green Waste. Saturday will see a special drive for Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment recycling with a focus on local recycling centres in Sligo at Greenstar, Deep Water Quay and the Tubbercurry Recycling Centre where householders can safely dispose of their electrical and electronic hosuehold waste (e.g. Toasters, Kettles, Radios, TVs etc).

 “The main focus of the week is to encourage consumers to become pro-actively involved in recycling whether it be in the work place or in the home. The key to good recycling practice is the need to segregate and separate recyclables. Once segregated used packaging e.g. glass and cans, can be taken to the nearest bring bank, or recycling centre for recycling or alternatively placed in the kerbside recycling bag for collection.  In Sligo we have achieved one of the highest recycling rates in the country due to the roll-out of kerbside recycling throughout the country and the provision of two recycling centres.  The people of Sligo have to be commended for their adaption to this new system of waste management and their high participation rates.

To help consumer get into the recycling habit Repak will be listing full details of participating local authority recycling centres on the Repak website www.repak.ie.  This information will also be available by contacting the Environment Section, Sligo County Council on 071-9111902.

Repak Recycling Week Tips:

1. Organise Household Bins.
   Put three bins in the kitchen: one for recyclables; one for compostable vegetable waste; one for general waste.   Organise a dedicated storage space in your backgarden or kitchen. 
2. Composting.
   Put a small compost bin beside your general waste bin or if you’ve space build a compost pile in your garden for kitchen vegetable waste and garden waste. As well as your brown and green food waste, wormeries can break down cooked meats that other conventional garden composters cannot deal with. When ready the compost should become dark and crumbly and you can then start using it as top-soil or fertilizer to make your garden greener than ever.
3. Packaging Thrift. 
   Check for products with less packaging and use re-usable plates, cups and bags. Buy vegetables loose. Use lunch boxes or containers with lids instead of using non-recyclable aluminium foil or plastic film to store leftovers.  A lot of companies have made great strides in reducing the amount of packaging they use in product.  For example, did you know the steel in baked bean cans now weigh today only 53% of what it did on the 1970’s dinner table (210g versus 113g for the same amount of beans).
4. Find your nearest Recycling Centre or Bring Bank.
   You may be surprised at the wide variety of materials they can accept. Visit www.repak.ie or check your local paper or for further details.
5. Be Clean.
   Wash ‘n’ squash Tetra Pak containers. Rinse out bottle and cans, remove lids and squash plastic containers to save space.  Remember don’t litter at bring banks. Take home any boxes or containers you used to bring materials to your local bring bank in.
6. Recycle used batteries.
   Collect up all the used batteries. Consider purchasing a battery re-charger and rechargeable batteries for battery operated toys and gadgets. Recycle batteries at your nearest recycling centre.