The National Recycling Bin Survey is Back – And We Need You to Make Real Change
Ireland has a packaging problem. A big one.
Hi, I’m Solene Schirrer. I'm a project manager for VOICE Ireland and I’m delighted to be leading the second edition of the National Recycling Bin Survey. With summer 2025 around the corner, we’re getting ready to launch this citizen-led initiative once again — and we need your help to tackle packaging waste at its source!
In 2023, VOICE Ireland led its first National Recycling Bin Survey (NRBS), a citizen-led piece of research involving 130 participants across 12 counties.
With this survey we took a deep dive into what’s really ending up in our recycling bins, but also attributing this waste to specific retail sectors. Together, these households catalogued over 10,000 individual items – and what we found was eye-opening.
Plastic made up 50% of the average Irish recycling bin, and supermarkets were responsible for two-thirds of all packaging waste. That means the problem isn’t just individual behaviour – it’s what’s being put on our shelves in the first place.
Now, we're back for Edition Two – and we're calling on households across the country to take part. This summer, we want to gather even more data, from even more people, to paint a clearer picture of where our waste is coming from and how if it’s changing over time under new policies.
The goals of the Survey
The National Recycling Bin Survey is a citizen-led research project unlike anything else in Ireland. It asks simple but powerful questions: What’s in your recycling bin – and where did it come from?
By collecting this information, we’re doing two things:
- Shifting the blame:
For too long, the focus of waste reduction has been on consumer behaviour. But what if we looked further upstream? This survey flips the script and looks at the source of packaging waste – retailers and producers – so we can push for changes that actually reduce waste at the design and distribution stages.
- Informing evolutions for better policies:
Since the first NRBS, new policies like the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) have launched in Ireland, and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is bringing in new rules across Europe. These changes are a step in the right direction – but without independent, citizen-led data, it’s hard to measure their real impact or make the case for going further.
What’s Changed Since the First Survey?
There’s been progress – but also urgency.
The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) now collects bottles and cans more effectively, aiming to boost recycling rates for high-value materials that have historically had low recovery.
The EU’s new PPWR is the first law that requires actual reductions in packaging, not just changes in how we recycle it. By 2030, certain types of single-use plastic packaging – like those for unprocessed fruit and veg, condiments, or hotel toiletries – will be banned. By 2040, packaging use overall must be reduced by 15%.
In 2025 in Ireland, even though we’re recycling more than ever by weight, our overall recycling rate isn’t improving—because our packaging consumption is growing two and a half times faster. That’s why it’s so important to track what’s really happening on the ground.
That’s where you come in.
How You Can Help
By joining the National Recycling Bin Survey, you’re not just filling out a form – you’re contributing to one an important environmental database in the country. You’ll:
- Count and record the packaging in your household’s recycling bin
- Note where items came from (supermarkets, takeaways, etc.)
- Reflect on your own consumption – and maybe even be surprised by it!
It’s a small commitment but can have a big impact. Don’t worry, we’ll provide you with all the instruction you need to take part easily – no science degree required.
This survey works because of you – the people willing to look at their bins, ask tough questions, and help us build pressure for real change.
Whether you took part last time or this is your first go, your input helps us: Register starting next week!
