RECYCLING COMPANY REPAK is urging people to recycle this Christmas as Irish households will generate over 70,000 tonnes of used packaging over the festive period which is 25 per cent more than usual.

There has been a 6.5 fold increase in Christmas household packaging recycling rates since 2001 and Repak estimates it will recycle around 37,000 tonnes saving 46,000 tonnes of carbon.

Over the festive period, Irish households will consume:

• 5 million boxes of chocolates, which if converted to kilowatt hours would run over 850,000 houses’ electricity for Christmas day.
• 4 million present boxes, which would fill a Boeing 747 jet aircraft.
• 6 million rolls of wrapping paper or the same weight as 94,240 Christmas trees.
• 50 million beer bottles which if placed end to end would stretch 11,993 kilometres, or get you back and forth to Lapland over five times.
• 3 million spirit bottles – the equivalent of 19 ice rinks.
• 51 million beer cans – enough beer to fill 29.5 Lough Dergs.
• 23 million wine bottles or the equivalent of 7 Olympic Size Swimming Pools.
• 20 million soft drinks cans – the equivalent of 44,000 Irish people’s average daily water consumption.

According to recent Deloitte research, Irish children will receive six gifts this Christmas resulting in nearly 6,000,000 gifts to children alone.

Repak are recommending people check waste contractors websites for their collection timetables over Christmas, bring any excess packaging to their local resource centre and refrain from using the bottle banks until the busy period has passed.

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