Social Democrats Spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Cian O’Callaghan, has said the onus on ending the use of non-recyclable plastics must be placed squarely at the door of producers and supermarkets pushing plastics on consumers.
“Producers and retailers should lead the way and start phasing out now all packaging that can’t be recycled in Ireland – we have the technology and there is a clear demand from consumers to cut out non-recyclable plastics from our lives.”
Social Democrats Spokesperson on Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Cian O’Callaghan, has said the onus on ending the use of non-recyclable plastics must be placed squarely at the door of producers and supermarkets pushing plastics on consumers.
Cllr O’Callaghan said:
“Repak is out today asking everybody in the country to recycle at least one more item of plastic per week. That’s all well and good – but it’s galling for individual consumers when on a daily basis a ceaseless tide of plastics is foisted on us in supermarkets. Like many consumers, I don’t want to buy two courgettes in my local supermarket wrapped in a plastic tray and a film, one of which cannot be recycled in Ireland.
“Repak has announced that large producers and retailers have already signed up to its Plastic Pledge committing to the goals of the EU’s Circular Economy package. But a target of eliminating the production of non-recyclable plastics by 2030 is just not ambitious enough.
“Producers and retailers should lead the way and start phasing out now all packaging that can’t be recycled in Ireland – we have the technology and there is a clear demand from consumers to cut out non-recyclable plastics from our lives.”
ENDS
19th September 2018