Mayo’s bring banks have broken a new record and recorded their highest ever yield, now in excess of 2,020 tonnes and up 12 per cent on the same period last year, according to a survey conducted by Rehab Recycle.
The survey, carried out for Repak’s Recycling Week, which took place from October 12-18, also revealed that the people of Mayo are among Ireland’s top recyclers, with an average of 53 bottles and jars recycled for every man, woman and child in the county during the first eight months this year. Only Galway with 62 items of glass per person, ranked higher in the Rehab Recycle league table.
The survey shows that more than 6,565,000 individual items of glass were deposited in Mayo’s bring banks during the period.
The glass bank site at the council car park in Castlebar emerged as Mayo’s best-performing site, with more than 111 tonnes of glass deposited, representing 361,000 items.
Commenting on Repak Recycling Week, Bob Rowat, general manager Rehab Recycle, said: “Over the past eight years, deposits at Rehab Recycle bring centres nationwide have more than doubled from 30,000 tonnes of waste to in excess of 70,000 last year. That’s the equivalent of over 227 million bottles and jars.
“Results from today’s survey show that the people of Mayo are continuing to set an example when it comes to protecting the environment for themselves and for future generations. However there is much more that needs to be done and it is important that we continue our efforts and encourage people to bring glass to recycling banks where it can be separated at source, thereby reducing contamination from other types of glass and recyclables. This also maximises the benefit to the environment as glass recycled by Rehab is eventually made into glass once again.”
Speaking at the launch of Repak Recycling Week, Dr Andrew Hetherington, CEO of Repak said: “Our research shows that only 40 per cent of people always wash their wine and beer bottles before recycling them. This makes the recycling process more difficult so during this year’s Repak Recycling Week we are calling on people to help us improve the quality of materials for recycling by first washing out their used glass containers before recycling them.”
