Packaging comes with the products we buy for our homes and businesses. It protects them during transport, keeps them fresh and provides product information. Once the products are unpacked, the packaging become waste.
Table 1. Packaging Waste and Recycling in Ireland
| Year | Total Packaging Waste Generated excluding wood repair (t) | Plastic Packaging Waste generated (t) | Total Packaging Recycled excluding wood repair (t) | Plastic Packaging Recycled (t) |
| 2012 | 809,501 | 168,582 | 599,015 | 68,147 |
| 2013 | 870,109 | 205,310 | 610,397 | 82,266 |
| 2014 | 969,423 | 276,309 | 662,158 | 97,824 |
| 2015 | 983,384 | 282,148 | 664,119 | 95,890 |
| 2016 | 991,298 | 275,510 | 663,791 | 98,238 |
| 2017 | 1,038,308 | 280,673 | 681,164 | 94,889 |
| 2018 | 1,012,709 | 264,017 | 637,832 | 81,901 |
| 2019 | 1,124,917 | 319,082 | 691,099 | 88,833 |
| 2020 | 1,118,596 | 306,325 | 690,817 | 89,056 |
| 2021 | 1,238,838 | 372,819 | 719,606 | 104,193 |
| 2022 | 1,207,931 | 344,878 | 724,484 | 110,842 |
| The CEWS team is working to collate a more detailed breakdown of comparible year-on-year packaging waste data, which will be made availiable in the future. | ||||
Open in Excel: Packaging Waste Excel (XLS 10KB)
Open in CSV : Packaging Waste CSV (CSV 9KB)For more information see: Packaging | Environmental Protection Agency (epa.ie)