LAST UPDATE | 28 Dec 2022

“THE HARDEST PART is sorting.”

This is how one industry expert described the challenges presented by soft plastic recycling in the latest in-depth series by investigative platform Noteworthy.

In our WASTE AWAY investigation, investigative reporter Alice Chambers took a deep dive into what has happened since September 2021 when Ireland changed the guidelines to allow soft plastic packaging into our recycling bins.

We found that approximately 9,000 tonnes more soft plastic will have been recycled in 2022, with a new plant in Limerick adding new technological improvements. However, in recent years much of our plastic was burned as a fuel replacement, with almost none of it recycled in Ireland. 

This week, in an episode of The Explainer brought to you by Noteworthy, Susan Daly chats with reporter Chambers and Mindy O’Brien, chief executive of environmental charity VOICE, about soft plastic recycling.

https://soundcloud.com/the-explainer-podcast/by-noteworthy-what-happens-to-your-soft-plastic-recycling/s-VAyYKQoPP4B?si=88b031b9c3c64e31ac8da3ff3dd2ce6c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

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• Soft plastic is being collected but almost all burned in Irish kilns or recycled abroad

This episode was put together by Susan Daly, Alice Chambers and producer Laura Byrne.