New regulations aimed at promoting the recycling of packaging waste will come into force on July 1st, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Brendan Howlin, announced yesterday. They include strong incentives for firms to participate collectively in a recycling scheme rather than try to go it alone.
Companies involved in manufacturing and selling packaging, as well as those distributing and selling packaged products, will be obliged to facilitate recycling. A company must have an annual turnover of more than £1 million and place more than 25 tonnes of packaging waste on the Irish market each year to be subject to most of the rules.
An exemption from the obligations is available to firms participating in a packaging waste recovery scheme approved by the Minister.