Ireland has formulated a ‘radical’ new strategy to focus on reducing plastic packaging waste and waste generated by fast fashion and food items in the country. Ireland’s department for communications says, climate action and environment, the country generates over 200 kg of waste packaging, 59 kg of which is plastic per person every year.
More than half of fast fashion is disposed of in less than a year, and food waste alone costs the country’s homeowners €700 a year and accounts for a loss of €1 billion to the country’s enterprises, according to Irish media reports. The department has sought views on measures to tackle fast fashion, better labeling for recyclable goods, targets to ensure correct bins are used, providing clearer information on what goes into each bin, measures to halve food waste, ending the use of non-recyclable plastic, how to further crack down on illegal dumping, incentivising the use of recycled materials in the construction industry, working with other European Union (EU) member states to design the structure of an EU-wide plastic packaging tax to encourage the further prevention of plastic packaging and raising awareness on how best to manage their waste.
The Irish government plans to ban single use plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks, cotton bud sticks, polystyrene cups and food containers and introduce fees on non-recyclable plastics, like on food packaging in supermarkets.
