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Repak Recycling Awards 2005

Waste reduction and recycling excellence acknowledged at top recycling awards

Echoing the philosophy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, 12 Awards were presented by the Minister of the Environment, Mr. Dick Roche TD - to individuals, companies and local authorities at this year's Repak Recycling Awards in the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin.

Attended by over 350 people, the winners celebrated those who promoted excellence in recycling as part of the Repak Recycling Week which ran from Monday 3rd until Sunday 9th October. A total of over 60 nominations were received in 11 categories - ranging from local authorities, waste contractors, schools, individuals and Repak member companies.

The awards sponsors were all well known companies - AIB, Arthur Cox, EPA, Ulster Bank, Rehab and the RPS Group. These organisations - through their sponsorship - all show a clear recognition of the importance of emerging environmental issues and are happy to be associated with the Repak Recycling Awards.

Mr Andrew Hetherington, CEO Repak thanked all those who supported the event, stating - "Repak Recycling Week, now in its fifth year, is making a significant contribution to raising the awareness of recycling at national level. Thanks to all our partners for making it such a success."

Hennessy contributed greatly to a most successful evening.

Tetra Pak - in an extremely appropriate and unique manner - made their contribution by way of their sponsorship of a tree-planting at Balroth Wood. Every attendee at the evening's event will have a tree planted on their behalf.

Acknowledgement was also made to many Repak member companies who 'rowed-in' with further support, including - Tesco, Superquinn, Musgraves, Golden Discs, Roches, B & Q, and Oxygen.

Andrew Hetherington also acknowledged the generous contribution to Repak Recycling Week made by Toyota Ireland through their prize of a Toyota Prius - the world's first mass produced Hybrid Synergy Drive Technology vehicle.

Mr. Dick Roche, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stated - "The people of Ireland have really taken recycling to heart. Our progress in this area in recent years has been remarkable, but new EU targets mean that we will have to do even better in future."

The Minister went on to outline the real progress made in recent years - "Since the late 1990s, we have been making progress at an ever increasing pace. It's a case of letting the figures speak for themselves -

In 2003 we recycled 28% of municipal waste, compared with only 9% in 1998.
The number of Bring Banks doubled between 1998 and 2003, as did the number of Civic Amenity sites.
560,000 households had a separate collection for recyclables by 2003 and this has increased further since then.
We are particularly successful on packaging waste. From a 1998 base of less than 15%, we reached 44% in 2003 and all the indications are that we are on track to make the 2005 EU target of 50%."

"New EU targets mean that we will have to recover and recycle even more packaging waste by 2011. This will require a major effort from everybody - including industry. I want all producers to review their packaging design and see if there is any scope to reduce the amount of packaging waste being produced in the first place. Cutting down on the amount of resources used in packaging, cuts costs and saves money. This should be good news for producers and consumers.

"My Department is working with all interested parties – Repak, local authorities, business interests and the EPA – to devise strategies and initiatives to help Ireland meet the new EU targets. This partnership approach has served us well in the past and will continue to do so in the future."

Andrew Hetherington, in his address, said - "I am pleased to say that Repak is fully on course to achieve the second landmark target of 50% recycling set for 2005 - and that is indeed a cause for celebration this evening.

"That is the good news. But here is the bad news.

"The targets have gone up again. Our friends in the EU have now raised the recycling bar to 60% - to be achieved over the next five years - with some individual material targets, such as cardboard, being much higher.

"Is this a realistic and achievable target? I say YES - but with some caveats.

"Can it be achieved under the existing set of rules and with the existing resources? Almost certainly not.

"As we go deeper into recycling - and extend the process to catch more through kerbside collections, bring centres and from the general domestic sector - it becomes more difficult and more costly. Our colleagues here from the local authorities will tell you just how hard and how costly it is to achieve incremental leaps of recycling from the domestic sector. The process needs more money and more resource. But where will that come from?

"Will Government invest more in infrastructure and provide more day-to-day resource to local authority collections? Perhaps yes.

"Can we ask those Repak companies, who already pay into the scheme, to dig deeper and 'ready-up' even more money? Certainly, some business groupings will raise serious concerns about our national competitiveness when compliant businesses, already hit with cost increases coming at them from every angle, are being asked to pay more and more. The cost of compliance in all areas is adding greatly to business costs.

"But 'Doing-The-Right-Thing' is never cheap. The decision on what is reasonable and fair is being examined within the second Five Year Strategy Group - with representatives from the stakeholders who are part of the partnership at national level. Business will pay its full share of the costs, but it cannot sign blank cheques. This is against a backdrop where local authorities are seeking full cost recovery for the collection of packaging from the domestic dustbin. Some authorities reckon that Repak subsidies account for only 20% of those costs.

"To resolve issues like this will require greater commitment from all stakeholders to move forward together in partnership.

"Ireland's performance in packaging recovery - through Repak, its members and its stakeholders - is recognised throughout the EU as exemplary. Let's continue to move forward together in partnership by Doing-The-Right-Thing at the Right Time. Transparency is essential from all sides to make the partnership sustainable."

Commenting on the announcement of the various awards winners, Mr. Hetherington, went on to say - "Ireland can only continue to meet its recycling targets by the partnership combination of individuals, companies, local authorities and schools. By embracing the reduce, reuse and recycle philosophy, these winners and finalists have all shown that, by making procedural and behavioural changes, much can be achieved. These changes cover the full life-cycle of packaging waste - from preventing needless packaging waste in companies, through to increasing the recycling rates once it is used by consumers.

"The winning companies can be proud of the largely unseen work they have undertaken in minimising the amount of packaging that reaches consumers, while individuals, local authorities and contractors have shown that leadership can change the dumping mentality of a lifetime. All of these partners are needed for us to enjoy the benefits of modern living whilst dealing responsibly with our waste."

The Repak Awards Dinner is one of the prominent dates in the recycling calendar and is the centrepiece of Repak National Recycling Week. The Awards Ceremony provides an opportunity for Repak - an approved body established by Industry to help its members to meet targets for recovering and recycling packaging waste - to acknowledge the efforts of its members, recovery operators and local authorities and their contributions to packaging waste prevention, minimisation and recycling over the course of the year.

Receiving the Repak Best Member Award Large Company 2005, Alcan Packaging was commended for its efforts which saw the company halve its waste management charges by reducing the amount of plastic it sent to landfill by 694 tonnes (a reduction of 53%) and recycling 1,144 tonnes of packaging waste. Coca Cola picked up the Repak Best Practice Award Large Company. Its efforts - through its Environmental team - yielded recycling rates in excess of 85% year-on-year and prevented 31 tonnes of cardboard waste being produced through its innovative Lock-and-Pop project.

The Best Practice Award Hospitality Sector 2005 was jointly shared by the Griffin Hotel Group Ferrycarrig Hotel and the Weston Hotel, Dublin. The Ferrycarrig Hotel reduced residual waste by 50% during 2004 and, through working with suppliers, achieved a 33% reduction in packaging waste arisings - while the Weston Hotel achieved a 50% increase in recycling of packaging waste in 2004.

Wexford County Council was awarded the Repak Best Local Authority Initiative Award for its recycling scheme, which achieved a 90% participation rate and diverts 4,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year. The Repak Best Local Authority Winner went to Cavan County Council for its commitment and investment in driving new recycling infrastructure. Cavan now has over 28 bring centres - accepting glass, aluminium and plastic - as well as the opening of two state-of-the-art recycling centres. It also initiated an innovative 'adopt a road scheme' and achieved a Bring Centre ratio of one for every 640 households.

Newmarket Co-op won this year's Best Practice Small Firms Award for a range of waste prevention and reuse initiatives that reduced the amount of packaging being placed on the Irish market by 33 tonnes.

Evode Industries Ltd. light-weighted its product bags/containers and doubled its recycling rate in 2004 to share the Repak Best Member Award 2005 - Small Firms with Macfarlane Plastics.

Representing developments in recycling in the retail industry, Centra, Tower Shopping Centra in Blarney, saw its packaging recycling rate more than doubled - with over 50% of all waste generated going for recycling through staff education and training programmes. This also resulted in a net 50% saving in waste management costs.

The Repak Young Recycler Award 2005 went to Caoimhe Normile of Tarbert National School in Kerry for waste and recycling programmes in her school and community - including campaigns to target litter black-spots in her community and the recycling and reuse of all materials, where practical, in the school. She also instigated a lobbying campaign to retain the schools recycling bin for aluminium cans and continues her calls for the council to supply them with bins for plastic bottle recycling.

The Edenderry Boys National School were awarded the Repak Recycling School of the Year for a range of ongoing recycling initiatives, which changed the schools waste management culture from disposal to recycling - resulting in up to 95% reduction in waste going for disposal.

Finally Mr Binman was awarded the Repak Recovery Operator Of The Year Award. This is the second year in succession that Mr Binman has won this award for the company's systems and procedures focused on recycling in collecting 100,000 tonnes of commercial material and servicing over 50,000 domestic customers in the Midwest Region.

The winners in each category received an award made from recovered/recycled materials, created by Irish designer, Ronan Halpin.

The judges included external industry experts such as - Padraic Larkin, Director, EPA; Sean Murphy, Chamber of Commerce of Ireland; Tim O'Brien, Irish Times; Terence Cosgrave, Checkout Magazine; Mark Fielding Chief Executive, ISME (Irish Small and Medium Enterprises) and Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak.

The awards were presented at a gala dinner by Mr Dick Roche TD, Minister for the Environment and Local Government. MC for the evening was Ms. Miriam O'Callaghan and the After Dinner Speaker was George Hook.

Awards Winners

Repak Member of the Year 2005 (Large firms)
Sponsored by Arthur Cox

The finalists were - Alcan Packaging Ltd.; Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland; Eircom Ltd.; H.J. Heinz European Frozen & Chilled Foods Ltd.; Symantec Ireland Ltd.

The winner of the Repak Member of the Year 2005 (Large firms) was Alcan Packaging Ltd.

Alcan Packaging Dublin - manufacturers of flexible food packaging for the food industry - has been a committed member of Repak since 1997. The company has invested time and resources to develop a comprehensive data capture system to capture their packaging data. They have continually met the stretch targets set in their annual waste management plans. Alcan's commitment to preventing packaging waste arising - and to recycle the waste that does arise - is exemplary.

L-R: Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak; Deborah Spence, Partner, Arthur Cox Solicitors; Nikki Mullin, Alcan Packaging; Minister Dick Roche, T.D; Tara Smith, Brendan Fleming, Gay McCabe - Alcan Packaging

In 2004 the company halved its 2003 waste management charges. More remarkably, it is estimated that if the waste management plan had not been implemented, the charges for 2004 would have been four times greater - so. this was a quarter of the potential cost had they not implemented their waste management strategy.

This was achieved by reducing the amount of plastic the company sent to landfill by 694 tonnes (a reduction of 53%).

Overall Alcan recycled 1,144 tonnes of packing waste in 2004.

In addition to running an environmental awareness project in partnership with local schools, the Alcan recycling committee holds workshops and runs environmental quizzes. A comprehensive waste management plan was set in place in 2002 - with 2004 showing the most significant results to date. The cost of waste management was halved in 2004.

Repak Best Practice Award 2005 (Large Firms)

The finalists were - Batchelors Ltd.; Bulmers Ireland Ltd.; Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland; H.J. Heinz European Frozen & Chilled Foods Ltd.; Symantec Ireland Ltd.

The winner of the Repak Best Practice Award 2005 (Large Firms) was Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland.

Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland has been an exemplary member of Repak since 1997. Data submission and payment on time - as well as partaking in all Repak events - are examples of Coca-Cola's commitment to Repak.

L-R: Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak; John Bird, Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland; Minister Dick Roche, T.D; Don Doherty, Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland

The Environmental team continually examine all areas of packaging waste management to see where improvements can be made in their already excellent approach that yields recycling rates in excess of 85% year-on-year.

A number of initiatives in 2004 resulted in the prevention of packaging waste arising - both on site and at customers' premises - through prevention and minimisation and the introduction of reuse loops - particularly the introduction of the innovative Lock and Pop project to remove layer pads for pallets.

In addition, CCBI improved the handling of returnable glass bottles on the glass line - resulting in a saving of 178.78 tonnes of waste glass and prevented a further 31 tonnes of cardboard by removing layer pads from transit pallets.

Repak Best Practice Award Hospitality Sector 2005

The finalists were - The Castle Hotel, Macroom; Griffin Hotel Group Ferrycarrig Hotel; The Westbury Hotel, Dublin; Westin Hotel, Dublin; Woodlands Hotel, Adare.

The joint winners of the Repak Best Practice Award Hospitality Sector 2005 were Griffin Hotel Group Ferrycarrig Hotel & Westin Hotel, Dublin.

The Griffin Group Ferrycarrig Hotel is a 102 room 4 star hotel employing 160. The hotel has been recognised as a core hotel in the Green Failte awards - in addition to a white flag for their leisure centre. The Ferrycarrig is used as a model for best practice in the hospitality industry by Wexford Co. Council.
The dedicated waste manager/recycling co-ordinator is fully committed to examining all waste arisings in order to continually improve on preventing and recycling waste arisings - with particular focus on packaging waste. The residual waste has been reduced by 50% during the year 2004 and, through working with suppliers, there has been a 33% reduction in packaging waste arisings.

L-R: Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak; Jeanette O'Keefe, The Griffin Group, Ferrycarrig Hotel; Minister Dick Roche, T.D; Chris Culleton, Liam Griffin - The Griffin Group, Ferrycarrig Hotel

Pictured receiving their award are - Mark Anderson, Paul Dunphy, Kieran Quinn - Westin Hotel
Also - Andrew Hetherington, CEO, Repak (far left) Minister Dick Roche, T.D (centre)

The 163 room 5* Westin Dublin Hotel is a landmark in Ireland's capital. Since opening in 2001, the core hotel in the Green Failte awards has been proactive and innovative in best practice in relation to packaging and packaging waste management.

An enthusiastic approach to waste management - spearheaded by the Conference and Banqueting Operations Manager - has resulted in an almost 50% increase in recycling of packaging waste in 2004. The prevention and minimisation of packaging waste are paramount to the waste management programme - with all areas of the hotel's operations being examined.

Finalists in last years awards, the Westin Dublin Hotel are deserving winners of the joint award of Best Practice Hospitality 2005.

Repak Local Authority Initiative of the Year 2005