The benefits of recycling packaging waste are to be highlighted in the first National Recycling Week next month.
The event, from October 1st to 7th, is being organised so that businesses and the public can focus on how packaging waste can be dealt with.
The organisers, Repak, a private non-profit Government-approved company, in announcing the event stated that 74 per cent of the population was aware of the availability of recycling facilities but only 25 per cent recycled regularly.
"Currently, the most popular method of disposing of packaging waste is by simply dumping it," Mr Andrew Hetherington, the Repak chief executive, said.
Ireland had a target of 200,000 tonnes of packaging waste to recycle in 2001: 30,000 tonnes must come from the domestic sector and the remainder from the commercial sector, he said.
"There are over 1,000 bring-bank locations throughout the country accepting a variety of packaging waste including glass bottles/jars, food/drink cans, plastic bottles and newspapers/paper/cardboard."
Activities taking place in October include a television, radio and press advertising campaign; promotion of "Bring Centres" around the country in conjunction with local authorities; National Recycling Week shopping centre puppet roadshow; Repak members' conference in Dublin on October 5th; and high-profile window displays in Easons, Clerys and Roches in Dublin.
Mr Hetherington said he hoped the National Recycling Week would play a key part in changing what everybody did with waste.