Soft plastic waste now accepted in Irish household recycling bins

Recycling changes announced: clean, dry and loose soft plastic waste can now be placed in Irish household recycling bins

6 September 2021

Pictured above: Minister of State with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth TD and Repak Team Green Ambassador Roz Purcell at the announcement that soft plastic packaging can now be put in the Household recycling bin. Photo Credit: Brian Arthur.

All plastic packaging waste - including soft plastic - can now be placed in Irish household recycling bins as long as it is clean, dry and loose.

Making the announcement, Minister of State with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth TD said soft plastic can be placed in the household recycling bin along with “rigid” plastic. 

“This is a significant and very positive development in Irish recycling and waste management. Soft plastics have been added to the household recycling list due to advancements in technology at Irish recycling facilities. This is welcome news as we work to reach EU recycling targets. Currently, in Ireland, we recycle less than a third of all plastic packaging waste. We have committed to increasing our plastic packaging recycling figure to 50 per cent by 2025 and 55 per cent by 2030. Today’s announcement is a significant step towards achieving these targets,” added Minister Smyth.

Today’s development is also part of the effort to fulfil commitments in relation to plastic packaging recycling as outlined in the Government’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy.  

Pauline McDonogh, Spokesperson for MyWaste - Ireland’s official website for guidance on managing waste, said that the addition of soft plastic to the Irish household recycling bin makes waste segregation much more straightforward for the householder. “Householders can now place all plastic packaging waste, including soft plastic, into the recycling bin once it is clean, dry and loose. Advancements have been made to the technology that segregates the different material types in recycling facilities. The recyclable plastic is sent to specialised, polymer-specific recycling facilities. If it cannot currently be recycled, it will be sent as Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) to replace fossil fuels at cement kilns.”

Adding her support to the announcement, Repak Team Green Ambassador Roz Purcell said, “The Irish citizen can play a key role in helping Ireland increase our plastic packaging waste recycling rate and continue our journey to becoming a more sustainable society. We can make a big difference by simply ensuring that we place the plastic packaging waste that we discard – clean, dry and loose - into our household recycling bin.” 

All permitted waste collection companies are now accepting soft plastic packaging waste that is placed clean, dry and loose into the recycling bin.

For a detailed list of the materials that are now accepted in the household recycling bin see mywaste.ie. 

Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) spokesperson Conor Walsh said, "Plastic recycling is a complex area as it involves many different polymers. Our members are committed to increasing recycling rates in Ireland and have installed optical sorting equipment that can identify different polymers based on reflection and refraction of a beam of light and this has increased our ability to recycle more plastics. The non-recyclable plastics are converted to a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) that is used in cement kilns. This replaces fossil fuels, so it also has a positive impact in terms of lower greenhouse gas emissions.”

Repak CEO Seamus Clancy said, “This is a very positive step in working with consumers to increase the levels of plastic recycling. Over the last three years, we have worked closely with the waste industry in plastic recycling, with €10 million of investment, and are delighted to support and encourage the Irish public to continue their great work in recycling more and better. With the introduction of soft plastics to the recycle bin that are clean, dry and loose, there is a great opportunity to increase our plastic packaging waste recycling rates and help protect our environment.”