ACROSS 2018 AND 2019, Ireland recycled a massive 1,314,160 tonnes of waste, enough to fill the Aviva Stadium over 20 times.

Thanks to nationwide initiatives like Repak’s Team Green, homes, schools and businesses across the country have been empowered to recycle more, and recycle better. But how much do we really know about the dos and don’ts? 

Every time you come in the door with a bag of groceries, receive a package online or order a pizza, you’re generating household waste, so it’s important to know what goes where. Some items are obvious contenders for recycling, like empty cardboard boxes and newspapers.

Others can take a bit more puzzling to figure out, like black plastic bags and aluminium takeaway containers (these can be recycled, by the way, provided they’re clean, dry and loosely placed in the right bin).

Every year, it’s estimated that up to 30% of the wrong kinds of items end up in the recycling bin, contaminating other items and slowing down the work of staff at recycling facilities. Things like nappies, wipes, bags of ash, clothes and garden waste are the worst offenders. 

And often, even when items do end up in the right bin, they haven’t been cleaned or separated properly:

“If you put a clean aluminium can in the recycling bin, that can be recycled again and again and again. If it’s contaminated [dirty or not emptied, for example], that’s the end of its life,” says Laura Sherry, Head of Marketing and Communications at Repak.

If you’re committed to recycling, it’s worth knowing which things go in which bin. Ready to test your knowledge? Scroll up to try our tricky five-level quiz, or click here to access it on YouTube. 

By collectively recycling more materials and keeping them clean, dry and loose you will be helping Ireland achieve its packaging recycling targets. Play your part and join Repak’s Team Green here, and find out more about what you can recycle here.