Ireland ranks high for environmental can concerns
The joint effort culminated in the creation of a live PixelCan artwork – the first of its kind in Ireland.
Some 97% of Irish respondents said that protecting the environment is important to them and environmental concerns were only felt more strongly in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands according to the report.
The importance of recycling in safeguarding the environment is also widely recognised, with six in 10 people in Ireland saying they ‘always’ recycle drink cans when on the go.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) state that they’d recycle more if there were a greater number of recycling bins in public places.
The majority of respondents prioritised the following: “made from 100% recyclable material”, “infinitely recyclable” and “can be produced and recycled inside Europe” when asked about the key criteria for sustainable packaging.
The Every Can Counts research coincides with its first-ever European Recycling Tour which ran simultaneously in 15 countries, highlighting the value of drink cans recycling to over four million people across the continent.
As part of this, Every Can Counts ambassadors recently worked with Dún Laoghaire County Council, Flossie and the Beach Cleaners and Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns to clear up the seaside suburb with colourful recycling backpacks. Meanwhile 18 other European locations joined in, all with a goal to celebrate public spaces and inspire people to do the right thing with empty drink cans.
The joint effort culminated in the creation of a live PixelCan artwork – the first of its kind in Ireland. The art piece, depicting an eye-catching rainbow, measured two metres high by six metres wide. It was built with painted drink cans recycled from the European Recycling Tour and put together with the help of Dún Laoghaire’s young people.
“It’s great to see the growing awareness of environmental issues throughout the country” said Róisín O’Brien, Ireland Programme Manager for Every Can Counts, “and it’s definitely reflected in the figures as Ireland has one of the highest drink can recycling rates in Europe too.
The project was able to collect nearly 2,000 drink cans which were all used to create the rainbow artwork and communicate the recycling message.
“Aluminium drink cans meet all the requirements for sustainable packaging highlighted by the majority of respondents in our research, which is very encouraging,” said David Van Heuverswyn, Director of Every Can Counts Europe, “But it’s also clear that more work needs to be done from all sides when it comes to recycling on the go and putting our empties in the right bin for proper waste disposal and recycling.
“This visually impressive activation across Europe delivered a strong message about people acting in unison when it comes to achieving a truly circular economy and if we’re to reach our vision for 100% can recycling throughout Europe we need all actors to do their part: the metal packaging industry, extended producer responsibility schemes, local authorities, brands, as well as consumers”, he continued.
The European Recycling Tour 2021 took place in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK.
For more information, please visit www.everycancounts.ie/about or follow Every Can Counts Ireland on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/everycancountsireland),
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