The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications launched a call for expert evidence to support and inform the preparation of the next Climate Action Plan, which is due for publication later in 2023.
The updated Climate Action Plan will have a strong focus on implementation, including actions with specific timelines and steps needed to achieve each action, assigning clear lines of responsibility for delivery. It will be informed by successful approaches in other countries, where such approaches could be adapted for implementation in Ireland.
Outlined below is ACE Ireland’s response to consultation questions posed under the section of ‘Waste and the Circular Economy’.
- What are the main barriers to consumers embracing the Circular Economy, e.g. lack of awareness, increased costs compared to disposable products, lack of access to circular goods and services?
A key barrier to consumers embracing the Circular Economy is a lack of awareness of what packaging can be recycled through their kerbside collection service, and of the advantages of packaging in reducing food waste.
Focus must be placed on the continued roll-out of extensive citizen information campaigns based on clear and concise messaging that resonates with the public on what a Circular Economy means and how they can support it. As part of this, particular focus must be placed on increasing the presentation rates of recyclable materials, by continuing to highlight what can be placed in the mixed dry recycling bin. Beverage cartons should be included in such campaign messaging.
Consumers should also be informed about the importance of using low-carbon, renewable materials. As part of the beverage carton industry’s ‘Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond’[1], ACE Ireland members are committed to making packaging only from renewable and/or recycled material by 2030, and today 100% of the wood fibre used to make beverage cartons is sourced sustainably and chain of custody certified, ensuring the forests remain a renewable resource for generations to come.
Greater emphasis should also be placed in communications on the role that packaging plays in reducing food waste and therefore in reducing carbon impacts – particularly packaging that is low-impact in itself, low plastic and circular, such as beverage cartons.
The ‘Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond’ sets out the industry’s vision to deliver the most sustainable packaging for resilient food supply systems which is renewable, climate positive and circular. The Roadmap commits to action on all parts of the industry value chain, with increased targets of beverage carton collection rates of 90% and recycling rates of 70% by 2030.
2. What other opportunities exist to support decarbonisation through the acceleration of a transition to the circular economy?
ACE Ireland continues to advocate for continued investment in and improvement of Ireland’s recycling infrastructure and sorting technology in Irish material recovery facilities (MRFs). In July 2023, ACE Ireland announced a new partnership with Panda aimed at significantly improving the recycling process of cartons placed on the Irish market. As part of the collaboration, ACE Ireland funded the installation of state-of-the-art robotic sorting technology at Panda’s MRF in Ballymount, Dublin.
Using ground-breaking artificial intelligence as accurate as a human eye, this new robotic sorting technology has the capacity to identify, pick, and sort cartons in Irish MRFs into their own dedicated streams. The sorter is quick and easy to install over existing recycling lines with minimal disruption to the operation of the MRF. This offers MRFs a real option to drive recycling innovation by separating materials like beverage cartons, while lowering the cost of automated sorting.
This new technology offers an effective solution for sorting cartons from mixed paper and fibre streams. The sorted cartons from Panda’s Ballymount MRF will now be sent onwards to ACE’s specialised carton recycling facility in the UK. Nationwide dedicated sorting of beverage cartons for onward recycling would provide full transparency of recycling rates and ensures all components of cartons can be fully recycled.
Introducing new and emerging sorting technologies across Ireland’s MRF network should be a key focus in the transition to a circular economy. This will allow MRFs to separate more materials and increase overall recycling rates, helping Ireland meet EU reuse and recycling targets.
