The Republic may envision itself as a zero-waste nation, but new statistics show the country still has some way to go in achieving this. Despite the slew of measures to make recycling easier, people recycled less waste last year compared to the year before. NEA’s website shows 4.72 million tonnes of waste was recycled last year – 50,000 tonnes lesser than the previous year’s 4.77 million tonnes. The decline took place despite national efforts to encourage people to recycle more. This was especially worrying in the case of plastics, which harm the environment. Only 51,800 tonnes were recycled last year, down from the 57,554 tonnes in 2016. About 133,000 tonnes of food waste was recycled last year, up from the 111,100 in 2016. NEA attributes the increase to food manufacturers recycling their food waste and greater use of machines that turn food waste into compost.... Continue Reading