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Michele Hallahan, the recycling ambassador of Voice Ireland, showed us some typical household items that can and cannot enter your green bin. Video: Katherine Harris

The new guidelines stipulate that packaging waste must be clean, dry and loose before recycling.

What we can and cannot put in recycling bins has suddenly become an important topic throughout Ireland, especially as charges by weight become more common.

Over the years, most people have followed the instructions of waste management companies to fill household recycling bins with various plastics, paper, aluminum, cardboard, and sometimes even glass.

However, some people use their recycling bins to evade weight-based billing/elevator black box charges, dumping everything from plastic containers spilled on food to diapers in empty cereal boxes, and half-full plastic bottles.

According to the latest data, this has resulted in up to one-third of household recycling bins being contaminated with non-recyclable materials-making it impossible to recycle anything

In November 2017, Climate Action and Environment Minister Dennis Norton launched a nationwide campaign to improve recycling and reduce pollution.

"Clean, dry, loose" is the slogan of these government-sponsored workshops, which are designed to help residents understand what they can and cannot put in the recycling bin.

So far, the one-year Recycling Ambassador Program (RAP) has benefited approximately 3,000 people in free recycling workshops provided by community groups, businesses, residents' associations, sports clubs, etc.

So what exactly does "clean, dry and loose" mean when recycling items in your home? First of all, this means that it is obvious: everything in the recycling bin must be very clean.

This means that there are no pizza residues on cardboard packaging, no cooked or uncooked food on aluminum or hard plastic containers, and no liquid residues in plastic bottles for beverages, household cleaners or personal hygiene products.

Second, everything that goes into your household recycling bin must be dry-so don't soak up wet catalogs or newspapers, because wet paper cannot be recycled.

Wet milk cartons or other containers are also banned because the liquid can contaminate nearby materials-which means that everything must be removed from the recycler’s conveyor belt and sent to a landfill or incinerated.

Third, everything in the recycling bin must be placed loosely. This is crucial because workers at the recycling facility will not open the bags to check whether the contents are recyclable.

Instead, they will remove all the filled bags from the conveyor belt, and they will also go to dump or burn. Therefore, plastic, cardboard and aluminum materials must be separated from each other.

When it comes to plastics, the information becomes a bit complicated.

People can put in all hard plastic containers (yogurt containers, margarine buckets, liquid soap containers, beverage bottles, mouthwash bottles, salad dressing bottles, and shampoo bottles).

Household cleaning bottles and washing powder bottles are good, as well as hard food trays and fruit trays. However, no soft "kneadable" plastic can enter the household recycling bin.

Mindy O'Brien, coordinator of Voice Ireland, an environmental charity, said that some people who attended the RAP recycling seminar said: "I used to recycle this kind of lightweight plastic packaging, but now I can't."

However, this only means that they are placed in the recycling bin, not that they are recycled, O'Brien said. In Ireland, soft plastics have never been recycled. "They were taken out and burned," she said.

O'Brien said that since every garbage disposal company has different standards, people's confusion about what can be recycled and what cannot be recycled is not helped.

Now, members of the Irish Waste Management Association, which represents more than 80% of waste companies, have agreed to follow the list listed on the new website, recyclinglistireland.ie.

Plastic packaging used for fruits, vegetables, meat/fish, and bread is not recyclable. Neither are polystyrene foam, plastic netting, plastic bags, cling film or black plastic.

Black plastic is recyclable, but it is sometimes difficult for optical sensors to identify it on conveyor belts. Because of this, some supermarkets in the UK have banned the use of black plastic packaging.

Glass can no longer be recycled in Irish household recycling bins, but it will be news for many environmentally friendly households who believe they abide by the rules.

Other materials, such as clothes, paint cans, batteries, and toys-which have their own recycling streams at municipal facility recycling centers and charities-should not be placed in household recycling bins.

What about the recycling signs sometimes found on loose plastic packaging? O'Brien said these recycling marks may apply to packaging produced in other countries than in Ireland.

"Or, maybe there is no market for this form of loose plastic packaging, so it's better to focus on the items on the recycling list rather than the contents of the individual packages," she added.

The so-called PET 1 bottles (beverage bottles, mouthwash bottles and salad dressing bottles) and HDPE 2 (milk and juice bottles, cosmetics, shampoo, household cleaners, washing powder and bathroom bottles) are all recyclable.

However, residents are again encouraged to visit the recyclinglistireland.ie website to determine which ones are recyclable in Ireland, rather than relying on labels on plastic bottles that can cause confusion.

What about Tetrapak cartons? Well, they can be recycled in factories that can separate the cardboard, aluminum and plastic in these cartons, "We were told to put them in recycling bins, so I hope they are recyclable, but I try to buy milk in plastic bottles And the juice I know is recyclable," O'Brien said.

As part of the 2018 Recycling Ambassador Program, Sylvia Thompson hosted a recycling seminar, which is run by Voice Ireland, an environmental NGO. For more details, see voiceireland.org/rap and the recycling list.

(Please refer to www.recyclinglistireland.ie for a list of recyclables)

Zero waste advocate Timi Nicholson (Timi Nicholson) said that it is impossible to live without plastic, despite her efforts to reduce plastic consumption.

"We can't live without plastic completely, because our clothes have mobile phones, computers and synthetic materials, but I actively avoid using disposable coffee cups, plastic straws, plastic tableware and plastic bags."

Nicholson buys cleaning products in bulk from eco-suppliers operating the replenishment program, thus reducing the need to purchase new plastic containers each time they run out.

She also actively avoids plastic packaging on food. "I bring my own container to buy cheese and meat. I buy milk at Tetra Pak, and I also buy large cans of yogurt, which can be recycled into plastic and cardboard."

However, Nicholson is realistic about useful plastic items such as laundry baskets and spray bottles. "We also have plastic toys, but when buying baby showers and other things I need, I will choose to buy second-hand ones."

She bought stainless steel cups and plates for her young son instead of plastic. She even took her plastic medicine container back to the pharmacy to get a new antibiotic prescription.

“The pharmacist cannot reuse my container for other people, but I can reuse it for my own prescription because my name is on the bottle,” she said.

On a broader level, Nicholson said that as a family, they have also changed their traffic habits and now only drive one car instead of two. She avoids wasting food and buying second-hand clothes.

"I don't buy processed foods or ready-made meals in plastic packaging, which also saves money," she added.

Íde Mhic Gabhann runs his own market stalls in Dublin, Meath and Kildare, and has been living a "disposable plastic" free life for more than two years.

She buys and sells many dry foods in bulk, such as rice, flour and lentils. She chooses solid soap bars to wash her hair, body and dishes. She also makes her own toothpaste and household cleaners.

"We are injecting so much new plastic and [recycled] plastic into the world that there is always too much plastic, so I reject all free things, such as biros.

"What I want are drinks without straws and ketchup in a ramen dish. I would even choose a chipper for takeaway instead of Chinese food because the potato chips are wrapped in paper," she added.

Reject plastic bags, disposable coffee cups, plastic tableware and plastic beverage bottles.

Buy fruits and vegetables in bulk and place them directly in your shopping basket instead of in plastic bags.

Please bring your own containers when buying meat, fish and cheese at the counters of deli and butcher shops.

Shop at farmers’ markets or large stores. Some health food stores sell dry bulk and household cleaners in refillable containers.

Avoid buying packaged processed foods. If you like sweets, you can go to the bakery and ask for a paper bag or bring your own container. Cook from scratch instead of buying ready-made meals in plastic containers.

Buy beverages in glass bottles or aluminum cans.

Don't buy plastic toys for children. Choose wooden toys or board games.

Don't use plastic bags for trash cans—use newspapers instead. Or simply rinse between uses.

Store fresh vegetables and herbs in a refrigerator wrapped in wet tea towels instead of wrapped in plastic bags. If you want to freeze meat, wrap it in baking paper and then wrap it in foil to avoid freezing burns.

The Voice of Ireland and Friends of the Earth will hold a "Fatty of Plastic" campaign against Supermarket Packaging Day on Saturday, April 21. On that day, supermarket shoppers across Ireland will be encouraged to leave plastic packaging at the supermarket checkout counter. See voiceireland.org. #SickOfPlastic

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