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QUIZ: Can you spot which of these should go in your recycling bin?
Can you help Ireland get to 50% recycling levels by 2025?
HOW MUCH PLASTIC have you placed in your recycle bin this week? While we currently recycle 35% of plastic, it’s essential that we step things up if we’re to stay on track to achieve our EU targets of 50% by 2025.
But what you can achieve as an individual is staggering – according to Repak, if everyone recycled one shampoo bottle each month, we would divert over 2,000 tonnes of plastic from landfill.
And if each person in Ireland recycled just one more water bottle a week, that figure would rise to 7,000 tonnes. In fact, if everyone in the country put one extra piece of plastic a week in their recycle bin, we’d recycle 250 million more plastic items a year.
So, are you playing your part in ensuring that you’re putting the correct waste in your recycle bin? In some urban areas, 40% of recycling can be contaminated.
Put your recycling know-how to the test in our quiz below.
1. That looks like that was a tasty burrito! But should you throw it in the recycle bin at work?
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Absolutely - it's hard plastic
Not until you clean and dry it
2. You've gotten every last bit of crisp out of these, but should the bag be recycled?
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As long as it's clean and dry
Unfortunately not - it's soft plastic
3. Hope someone is going to clean that up! Can the empty bottle go in the recycling?
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Yes as long as it's clean and dry
Unfortunately not
4. Good oral hygiene is next to godliness, but what should you do with the bottle afterwards?
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Empty it and put it in the recycle bin
Throw it in the regular bin, it can't be recycled unfortunately
5. Yoghurts can be tasty mid-morning snack, but can the pot be recycled?
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Nope - the plastic is too soft
Absolutely (providing it's cleaned and dried)
There's nothing more annoying than running out of shampoo when you're already late for work. Where should you throw the bottle in rage?
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In the recycling bin
In the regular, bathroom bin (it can't be recycled)
7. You've just finished a really tough workout at the gym and your water bottle has long since been drained. What do you do with it?
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Throw it in a bin before you leave
Take it home to recycle
8. It's easy to be so relaxed with this view that you forget about cleaning up, never mind recycling. But where should this empty bottle go?
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In your recycling bin
In a dedicated bottle bin
9. There's nothing like a big old bag of vegetables for making you feel like you have your life together - but where should the bag go?
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Keep it and reuse it again (or pop it in the regular bin)
The recycling bin
10. If you work in an office you've probably had your fair share of pre-packed sandwiches. But what should you do with the packaging of this lunchtime staple?
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Remove any film and put the harder plastic in the work recycling bin
Throw it in the regular kitchen bin
You scored out of !
You could do with a recycling crash course
If a recycle bin is close, you'll drop your rubbish into it but you might not be paying attention to what can and can't be recycled and that it must be clean and dry. Why not learn more about what you can do at repak.ie?
You scored out of !
You're doing your best but could learn more
You always try to recycle if you're anywhere near a recycle bin and you've started shying away from plastic straws and packaging at the supermarket. However you might not be putting all the right things in - why not learn more at repak.ie?
You scored out of !
You're a green queen!
You care deeply about the environment and you always endeavour to do your bit to protect it. You've read up on what can go into the recycling bin and you're really helping us to reach our EU goals, well done! Learn even more at repak.ie.
Team Green, powered by Repak is a call to action for everyone in Ireland to play their part when it comes to recycling plastics. Currently we recycle 35% of plastics in Ireland, but we need to ensure Ireland meets its targets of 50% by 2025. Find out exactly what should or shouldn’t go in your recycle bin at Repak.ie.
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