A new survey shows that 75% of people believe recycling correctly is the first step to driving environmental change in addition to avoiding single use plastics (59%) and walking or cycling more often (49%).
The survey from not-for-profit environmental organisation Repak also reveals that 86% feel Ireland would be greener if the public did more to protect the environment.
Making homes more energy efficient (43%) and shopping local (42%) are other ways that people feel we could be doing to make Ireland greener, the survey shows.
Since Repak's "Team Green" campaign was launched in 2018, the collective efforts of the public to recycle correctly has resulted in an increase of recycled plastic packaging tonnes by 22% or 17,472 tonnes.
The theme of this year's campaign is called "Re-Imagine" and has been created to help extend the consumers understanding of how recycled plastic can be made into many different products and materials if recycled correctly.
Ireland currently recycles 31% of all plastics, but only 21% of people are aware that this needs to increase to 50% by 2025 under EU Legislation.
Learning what items can and cannot be recycled, as well as putting all recyclable packaging waste into the recycling bin clean, dry and loose is what everyone in Ireland must do to reach the 50% target, Repak said.
Séamus Clancy, the chief executive of Repak, said that since it began in 2018, over 26,000 individuals have joined Repak Team Green.
Because of their collective efforts, recycled plastic packaging tonnes increased by 22% from 2018 to 2021, he added.
"We have taken significant steps to protect the environment, recycling more plastic than the current EU plastic recycling target (22.5%) but we must recycle 50% of all plastics by 2025. Along with our 3,400 members, everyone needs to try to recycle correctly and ensure the operation of a circular economy," Mr Clancy said.
