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Panda are passionate about recycling your waste

Our commitment to recycling waste sustainably goes across everything we do:

Zero landfill:

When waste sits in landfills it leaks methane and other gases which are harmful to the environment. We don't believe that it's ethical to damage the environment in this way and for that reason we have a zero landfill policy.

Recycling tips from Panda >

Our Materials Recovery video:

Panda Recycling from Panda Recycling on Vimeo.

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Our commitment to recycling waste sustainably goes across everything we do: When waste sits in landfills it leaks methane and other gases which are harmful to the environment. We don't believe that it's ethical to damage the environment in this way and for that reason we have a zero landfill policy.

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Find a Recycling Centre | Dublin City Council

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Introduction

There is a wide range of services and facilities to recycle domestic waste. As well as reducing the volume of waste going to landfill sites, recycling and composting your domestic waste helps to minimise charges for waste collection.

Many of the items used in the home can be recycled. The benefits of recycling include a cleaner environment, the safe disposal of hazardous materials, greater awareness of excess packaging and a careful approach to the use and re-use of materials.

Many products carry international recycling symbols that help to identify how they can be re-used and/or disposed of safely - see 'Recycling symbols' below.

How do I recycle?

There are several ways of arranging to recycle waste. You can take it to a recycling facility or use a kerbside collection (if available). For organic waste, you may choose to compost it yourself - see 'Composting' below or use a kerbside collection. Many recycling facilities accept bulky organic waste as well.

There are 3 types of permanent recycling facility: bring banks, civic amenity sites and recycling centres. Most local authorities also set up temporary collection points for Christmas trees each year. You can find out what is available in your area from Repak, on mywaste.ie or from your local authority.

Bring banks are unstaffed collection points for recyclable materials like glass bottles, drinks cans and food cans. Some bring banks also have collection bins for unwanted clothes.

Civic amenity sites are similar to bring banks but can accept a larger variety of items. They are purpose-built, are staffed and have specific opening hours. In general they accept paper, cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, drinks cans and food tins, textiles and footwear, electrical equipment, fluorescent tubes, waste oil and DIY waste. Some also accept garden waste and Christmas trees.

Staff at civic amenity sites can provide advice and information about recycling and they may have home composting bins for sale.

Recycling centres are also staffed and gated and have specific opening hours, but accept a smaller variety of items than civic amenity sites. In general they do not accept very bulky items. They are not custom-built and tend to be located in existing sites such as local authority depots.

Again, staff can provide advice and information about recycling and they may have home composting bins for sale.

Kerbside collection of recyclable waste is often known as a 'green bin' collection. Recyclable materials include plastic bottles, glass bottles, drink cans, food tins, newspapers or magazines, and cardboard

Most areas now have a separate bin collection for organic waste - often called a 'brown bin' collection. Read more on brownbin.ie.

Composting is the breakdown of organic material like kitchen or garden waste by organisms that convert it into an earth-like mass, which can then be used as a soil conditioner. Most garden waste and much kitchen waste can be composted - see our document on composting. Some civic amenity centres accept organic materials, or you can use the 'brown bin', if available. Many local authorities sell home composting bins at subsidised rates.

What can I put in my recycling bin?

A new list of material has been agreed for the household waste recycling bin, as follows:

Paper and cardboard: letters, brochures, cardboard boxes (flattened), egg boxes, cardboard centres from toilet roll and kitchen roll, newspapers, 'Tetra Pak' cartons for juice or milk

Rigid plastic (washed and dry): plastic drink bottles, plastic cleaning bottles, butter, yoghurt and salad tubs, plastic trays for fruit and vegetables, plastic milk containers, plastic bottles for liquid soap or shampoo

Tins and cans (washed and dry): soup cans, pet food cans, drink cans and food cans

All items should be clean, dry and placed loosely in the recycling bin.

For more details on what can and cannot go in your recycling bin, see mywaste.ie.

The Irish Waste Management Association has published answers to common questions on recycling household waste (pdf).

What can I bring to a recycling facility?

A wide range of items can be accepted at recycling facilities. Check with your local centre, as there can be considerable variation in what they accept.

All materials should be clean, to avoid contamination - wash out bottles, cans, yogurt pots etc. before recycling. The items most commonly recycled are:

Glass bottles and jars - recycle lids/caps separately

Paper (newspapers, magazines, telephone books, office paper, junk mail, comics and light cardboard)

Drinks cartons (for milk, juice etc.)

Aluminium (soft drink and beer cans, foil)

Plastic bottles and cartons

Food tins (fruit, vegetables, pet food)

Plastic bottle tops, metal and aluminium lids

Textiles (clean clothes, bed linen, towels, coats and jackets)

White goods (washing machines, cookers, dryers, dishwashers, fridges)

Batteries (also collected in shops and supermarkets)

Items that cannot be accepted for recycling

Crystal glass, Pyrex, television tubes, opal glass, (that is, alcohol bottles where a large amount of foil is glued to he bottle) and car windscreens

Porcelain, pottery, stones and ceramic tiles

Carpets and rugs, cushions or mattresses

Laminated or waxed papers like paper cups

Hazardous waste

Many household products contain substances that are potentially harmful to the environment. They include medicines, aerosols, bulbs and fluorescent tubes, polishes, adhesives, household cleaners, drain cleaners, solvents, weedkillers and fertilisers. Some of these items can be brought to a civic amenity centre, where they can be recycled or disposed of. Pharmaceutical drugs (such as painkillers), medical waste (such as syringes or surgical gloves) and containers for pharmaceutical drugs should be returned to your local pharmacy, which can dispose of them properly. Some local authorities organise mobile collections, where hazardous waste can be left at a central point. Contact your local authority for further details.

Recycling symbols

The most common recycling symbol on products and packaging is the mobius loop - three arrows in a circle. This means that a product is either recyclable or has some recycled content.

Another common symbol is the Green Dot - a pan-European symbol that appears under licence on product packaging. The Green Dot is not a recycling symbol, it does not mean that the packaging material can be recycled, or that it was made using recyclable content. It is simply a mark to show that the supplier is committed to protecting the environment by funding the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.

Rates

Recycling services provided to the public are mainly free of charge. However, civic amenity centres or recycling centres may charge for certain items or for large quantities - check with your local centre. A charge for kerbside collection may also be included in your domestic waste charges - check with your service provider.

Most local authorities also provide home composters at subsidised rates.

What happens to recycled items?
Batteries
Lead acid batteries (from cars, trucks, boats, tractors, etc.) are made of plastic and contain dilute sulphuric acid and lead. During the recycling process, the batteries are crushed, the acid is drained off and neutralised and the plastic and lead are compacted and baled for recycling. Button batteries (cameras, hearing aids, watches, computers and calculators) can be recycled using a thermal process. Domestic rechargeable batteries (mobile and cordless phones, laptops, power tools and cordless appliances) can be also recycled using a thermal process, which reclaims the cadmium, nickel and iron. The reclaimed cadmium is used to make new batteries while the nickel and iron are used to make stainless steel.
Glass
Glass must be sorted according to colour to avoid contamination. It is crushed and turned into 'cullet'. In the making of new glass, cullet can be up to 40% of the raw material. This amounts to significant savings in raw materials and energy needed to melt the glass.
Vehicles
Vehicles can be dismantled, stripped of any valuable materials and crushed for smelting.
Household white goods
Household appliances like washing machines, cookers, dryers, dishwashers and toasters can be dismantled. The ferrous and non-ferrous metals are separated and the rest is disposed of. There are also specialist recyclers who process the more complex items such as computers and televisions. These recyclers separate components of the equipment for resale or recycling of valuable materials. They may also refurbish entire systems for resale.
Aluminium
The aluminium can is one of the most valuable waste materials. Aluminium foil can also be recycled - both the heavy foil that comes with take-away meals, ready-cook meals etc. and the lighter 'tin foil' used in cooking. Baled aluminium cans and foil are smelted into ingots, which are then rolled before being made into cans and other products.
Oil
Waste mineral oil (fuel oil and lubrication oil) can be reprocessed and re-sold as low-grade industrial lubricant or industrial boiler fuel oil to generate heat, electricity or both. Vegetable oils, such as cooking oil, should never be mixed with mineral oil. These oils can be cleaned and used in animal feeds, or in fuel for adapted cars. Some recycling centres accept domestic cooking oils.
Paper
For fire safety reasons, paper recycling facilities must be supervised. Newspapers, magazines, office paper, junk mail, light cardboard, telephone books, greeting cards, calendars and diaries, paper bags, comics can all be recycled. Collected paper goes to paper mills, where it is recycled into new paper.
Plastic
The plastics industry has a code for labelling different plastic materials to help with identification and recycling. The majority of plastic containers found in the home are made from HDPE, LDPE, PVC or PET. Most of the containers for soft drinks are made from PET (polyethene terephthalate). These bottles can be shredded and recycled as fibre for the polyester lining for sleeping bags, pillows and quilted jackets. Recycled plastics can be used for fencing, garden furniture, car bumpers, plastic bags, PVC pipes and flooring.
Green waste
Home composting provides an excellent soil conditioner and allows most kitchen and garden waste to be recycled. Some civic amenity centres provide composting services and sell the compost. Most local authorities also recycle Christmas trees. They are shredded and the shavings are used for landscaping.
Textiles
Clothes and textiles that are suitable for re-sale are sent to charity shops to be sold. Clothes and textiles that are not suitable for re-sale are recycled into carpet underlay felt, machine-wiping cloths or fibre filler for furniture.

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There is a wide range of services and facilities to recycle domestic waste. As well as reducing the volume of waste going to landfill sites, recycling and composting your domestic waste helps to minimise charges for waste collection. Many of the items used in the home can be recycled.

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Ireland Official Guide to Managing your Waste

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Welcome to My Waste, Ireland's official guide to managing you waste. Here you will find everything you need and want to know about managing your waste responsibly, efficiently and in the way that suits you. Browse this site for your local waste services; bring banks, recycling facilities along with ways to help you prevent waste, reuse and upcycle.

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Introduction

Each year, Irish households produce around one tonne of waste. Whether it is recycled or ends up in landfill, all that waste must be transported, treated and disposed of. Any material that goes through that process represents a waste of resources, materials, fuel and energy. The process also contributes over 50% of some countries' greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to protect resources and help fight climate disruption, we need to change the way we approach production and consumption and work towards a more sustainable system. Moving away from the carbon heavy, linear model of the present "produce, use and dispose", to a circular economy will change the way products and services are designed and delivered across Ireland.

The Government has already adopted a number of sustainable consumption measures internally by banning single use plastics, moving towards Green Public Procurement, and commencing efficiency reviews and upgrades in areas like energy, waste and water consumption.

The Climate Action Plan includes specific targets combatting waste including reductions in household waste, landfill reliance, plastics and food waste. It also sets out ambitious recycling targets for municipal, plastic and packaging waste.

Policy frameworks will also be developed to encourage and promote the circular economy and eco-friendly design which will filter positive choices through to consumers. In tandem with these developments, we can all take steps to familiarise ourselves with sustainable consumption.

Household Waste

Making small changes at home can have a big environmental impact and save you money at the same time. An easy first step is to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. Avoid single use disposable items like razors, batteries and wipes. Opt for rechargeable batteries and washable cloths instead - they last much longer. Say no to junk mail - put a no junk mail sticker on your letterbox to avoid disposing of unwanted paper.

If you cannot avoid items or products ending up in your home you can still make the most out of their potential by giving them a new lease of life through reuse. This concept of extending an object's life cycle past its original use is at the heart of the circular economy.

Economic growth does not depend on the mass production and disposal of products. It can be separated from the use of resources through production models based on long life products that can be renewed, reused, repaired, upgraded or refurbished. This keeps the added value in objects for as long as possible while eliminating waste and protecting precious resources.

If reusing is not an option for you then recycling your goods is the next best alternative.

Recycling

Waste is an inevitable part of our daily lives but the more stuff we buy, the more waste we generate - so the ideal solution to dealing with waste is to change our consumption habits and start at the beginning. Sending our rubbish to landfills is not just bad for the environment; it is also a missed opportunity for recovering some of the useful life left in what we are throwing away.

Recycling offers a way to keep these useful resources working for us and avoids the need to use new materials through mining metals, cutting down trees or drilling for oil.

The separation of waste at source makes it cheaper and more efficient for waste companies to sort waste at a later stage. As a customer it is usually cheaper to fill your recycling or brown bins, providing a financial incentive to recycle.

Most waste collectors will have information about what can go into your bins or you can visit MyWaste for further details.

There are also bring-banks in nearly every town and village for glass, textiles and larger volumes of recycling or bulkier items that won't fit in your green bin. Many people also opt in to take-back schemes run by furniture and electronics retailers.

Recycling also provides a safe and regulated system for dealing with hazardous waste that could otherwise end up in a landfill. Oils, acids and metals can pollute our water supplies if they are washed away or cause harm to the public if dumped illegally around the country.

There is now a route for recycling almost every product - sometimes these routes are free and sometimes a charge is applied. To help you find the right place to bring your waste, MyWaste.ie provides information about recycling sites across Ireland with searchable maps, information on opening hours and the types of waste accepted.

Food Waste

One third of the food we buy ends up in the bin, costing the average Irish household around €700 each year.

Managing food waste from the start can make a really big difference. We have to be mindful of avoiding waste when we buy our food, when we take it home to store it and finally when it gets cooked or eaten.

If you do end up with food waste, make sure you deal with it in the best way possible through your brown wheelie bin or by doing some composting at home.

Composting turns organic materials like garden waste and vegetable food scraps into dark, crumbly material called compost. When done correctly, composting at home is an effective way of dealing with garden and unavoidable food waste which can save you money on your waste bills and reduce the strain on waste services.

Doing it at home means you reap the benefits of the compost too as it can be used to improve the soil in your garden and protect Ireland's biodiversity and environment. Successful composting requires sufficient moisture and aeration. The size of the heap to be composted is very important, as is the size of the particles and the surface area of the material.

Producer Responsibility

Consumers can reduce waste by looking at the purchases they make, but producers also need to make these choices easier for customers.

A lot of companies are now looking at different ways to become more sustainable either by reducing the amount of packaging that their products come in or changing that packaging to one with less of an environmental impact. Plastics are being phased out in favour of biodegradable or recyclable containers and many shops and supermarkets are reverting to selling loose produce.

Where companies have decided that packaging is necessary, they can take part in one or more Producer Responsibility Initiatives (PRIs) which reduce the impact of their waste on the consumer and the environment.

Bioeconomy

The bioeconomy encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, bio-based products and bio-energy. It includes agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and pulp and paper production, as well as parts of chemical, biotechnological and energy industries. Its sectors have a strong innovation potential to support Ireland's transition to a more integrated sustainable, low carbon economy.

Learn More

You can learn more about waste management on the following websites:

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Climate Action - what you can do about waste

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Each year, Irish households produce around one tonne of waste. Whether it is recycled or ends up in landfill, all that waste must be transported, treated and disposed of. Any material that goes through that process represents a waste of resources, materials, fuel and energy.

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An FAQ available on Repak's website.

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Plastic tubs and food trays, yogurt pots, plastic bottles from water, beverages and milk, soap dispensers, shampoo bottles, butter and ice cream tubs are just some of the plastic items that can go in the recycle bin, once they are clean, dry and loose. You can see the full list on our ' What can I recycle?' page. Please note that soft plastics are not currently accepted in the recycling bin so should go into the general waste bin. Today, we recycle 33% of all plastics in Ireland. Under new EU law we must achieve plastic recycling targets of 50% by 2025 and 55% by 2030. We need everyone's help to do this. Repak's Team Green calls on everyone to recycle just one more piece of plastic, at the very least, per week. In doing so we can recycle 250 million more items of plastic each year.
What should I never put in my recycling bin and why?
You should never put food waste, soft plastic, glass, nappies, garden waste, batteries or dirty recyclables in your recycling bin - please see the full list of recycling contaminants. Contamination in the recycling bin can be as high as 36% in some areas in Ireland. Every year about 87,000 tonnes of non-recyclable material end up in recycling bins and it is estimated that recycling waste operators nationwide take in 1 million nappies every year in recycling bin waste, which is sorted by hand as well as by machine.
What condition does the packaging / plastic need to be in?
Recycables should be placed in the recycling bin clean, dry and loose. This means there should be no food or liquids left in your recycling and you should not put items into plastic bags as these can get tangled in machinery at the recycling plant. You should also avoid putting recyclable items into each other, for example into large paper bags, as the best and quickest way for them to be sorted is if they are loose. It's a good idea to open out cardboard boxes and squash bottles to give you more room in your recycling bin, for all those extra items around the house that you are now going to recycle!
Where do the recyclables go after being collected?
The waste from your recycling bin is brought to one of the many recycling facilities around the country where it is sorted out both by staff and machinery. The materials are sorted into groups of plastic, paper, aluminium, steel and cardboard. The materials are baled, and then redistributed to specialist companies who reuse these materials to create new products.
I saw a green dot symbol on packaging in my local supermarket - what does this symbol mean?
The Green Dot is a European trademark that producers and suppliers include on their packaging advising consumers that they have contributed financially to the recycling of the products packaging. In Ireland, it means they are members of Repak. It does not mean that all packaging supplied is recyclable.
Is it okay to have personal information on papers and documents when they are being recycled?
When the contents of the household recycling bin arrive at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting, paper gets separated from the other materials and arranged into bales. Paper with personal information on it isn't separated out for shredding. Both Repak and the recovery operators recommend shredding or ripping up paper with personal information before placing it in your recycling bin.
Can I place plastic bags in my household recycling bin?
No. Plastic bags should not be placed in the recycling bin. They should not be used to line your recycling bin either as they can get caught in the waster operators' machinery. Please place all recyclables loosely in your bin.
Can I put the metal lids of jam jars and other glass jars into my recycling bin?
Yes, you can place the steel lids from jam and other glass jars in your household recycling bin. Please just make sure they are clean and dry. You can also recycle other steel items such as food tins, biscuit tins and empty aerosol* cans (just make sure they are empty, that the lids are off, and *that this material is accepted by your own individual waste contractor).
I have a virtually new and unused bed and mattress that nobody wants. Is there anyone who can collect it or anywhere I can dispose of it?
There are a few of options available to you. You can take the bed to your local recycling centre and they will recycle it for you. Or you can contact a charity and ask them if they would like it and they may collect it from you. There are also sites such as FreetreIreland and gumtree.ie where you can advertise the bed for free.
How do I recycle white plastic folders that I have in the office?
Generally these types of folders are not accepted for recycling, as they are a mix of cardboard, plastic and steel. Collection systems are set up to accept each material on its own and not mixed with other materials. We suggest you contact your contractor and ask them if they will accept them. You can find a list of contractors here. Also, contact your local recycling facility to see if they will accept them.
In my supermarket I saw a sign saying that as a member of Repak, the store does not have to take back packaging for recycling - why is this?
Repak is a producer responsibility scheme that funds packaging recycling, through fees received from our members, such as supermarkets. The membership fee they pay us is based on the amount and type of packaging they place on the market. Members include Tesco, Microsoft and Green Isle Foods.

Repak then takes this money and pays a subsidy to local authorities and recovery operators to collect, sort and recycle recyclable materials from household recycling bins, bottle banks and recycling centres throughout the Republic of Ireland.

So by being a member of Repak, supermarkets and other members have already paid towards the recycling of the packaging they place on the market and therefore are not obliged to take it back in store.
Can I recycle my glass perfume bottles?
Yes, you can recycle most glass perfume bottles, depending on the colour of the glass. If the glass is clear, green, brown or blue it can go into the relevant bottle bank. You can leave the spray pump and lid on as these will get crushed and sorted out in the recycling process. Any blue bottles can go into the green glass bank. Frosted bottles can go in the clear bottle bank. Any other colours (pink, red etc) can't go into the usual glass bottle bank and will need to go into the general waste bin.
Top Tips for better recycling

Know what can go into your recycling / green bin

Recycle more items from the bathroom, kitchen and other areas of the house - did you know that all of your shower gel, shampoo and detergent / cleaning agent bottles can be easily recycled? - Go on see what else you can find!

Rinse any food or liquid residues from containers and remove any plastic / metal inserts from boxes being placed into your recycling bin.

Remove some air from plastic bottles, remove inner packaging and flatten cardboard containers to help with the recycling process and to save space in your bin.

Do not place mixed recyclables compacted into boxes or bags into your recycling bin - instead empty the contents of the bags / boxes into the bin so that the recyclables are loose and easily separated into different material types (instead reuse your large box or bag to store your next batch of recyclables!)

Do not put food waste or other compostable materials (such as garden waste, tissue paper and soiled pizza boxes) into your recyclables bin, these materials should be placed into your compost bin.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment - anything with a battery or a plug) can contain hazardous components and should not be placed into any household or business premise bin. WEEE material can be swapped like for like at any electrical supplies store when you are getting a new appliance or can be taken to your local recycling centre from where it will be sent for recycling.

Clothes or shoes should not be placed into your recycling bin, instead bring them to charity shops or dedicated clothes banks for recycling. Items of clothing can wrap around machinery parts and cause problems at recycling facilities.

Batteries should not be placed into bins. Batteries must be recycled appropriately and can be placed in battery boxes located in any shop that sells them. Schools often collect batteries and can win prizes for doing so see if any of your local schools have a scheme. Car batteries can be brought to local recycling centres or garages where you can get money back for them due to their lead content.

Know the correct collection day for your area - to ensure recyclables don't build up and end up in the wrong bin.

Thanks for helping to recycle better! For regular tips and updates, join Team Green today!

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Plastic tubs and food trays, yogurt pots, plastic bottles from water, beverages and milk, soap dispensers, shampoo bottles, butter and ice cream tubs are just some of the plastic items that can go in the recycle bin, once they are clean, dry and loose.