If you fancy a €200 voucher for a stay in one of the many Green Hospitality Award hotels around the country, complete the online survey on food waste for a chance to win.

To take part in the survey – Click Here

Over 2/3 of the average household bin is recyclable. Approximately one quarter of the bin is used packaging which can be recycled, and a further third is usually compost-able kitchen and garden waste. So really, most of our bin is actually recyclabe. Get recycling this weekend and Happy Friday.

The free trader bagged themselves popular reads from the Harry Potter and Northern Lights series and helped FreeTradeIreland to reach its golden anniversary of 50,000 items reused.

FreeTradeIreland is a community initiative, promoted by local authorities around the country and has been in operation nationally since July 2010. With over 41,000 users, the free online service has helped to divert items weighing an estimated 1 million kg away from landfill through reuse. The service has saved its users an estimated €5.1 million through skip hire costs avoided and in savings to new owners who no longer needed to purchase a new item.

“We are thrilled with the success of the website and salute all our users who have found new homes for the 50,000 items free traded and helped to save 50,000 other users the costs involved in buying new items,” says Sharon Cameron, Mayo Environmental Awareness Officer.

“FreeTradeIreland.ie is a simple concept that provides cost effective resource management to both the people of Ireland and the Local Authorities.”

For newbies to the FreeTradeIreland.ie service, it is free and easy to use. If you have a usable unwanted item then it belongs on FreeTradeIreland where it can find a new home within minutes. Households and businesses can save on the hassle of lugging the item to local recycling centre or the cost of hiring a skip, while helping out someone that wants the item.

If you are interested in an item posted on the website, simply contact the person advertising the item and find out more. It’s a win-win situation and it’s all FREE!

We here at Repak love the Free Trade Ireland idea and concept.

Click here to find out more.

Decadence Cosmetics is a new company based in County Carlow which created an innovative organic tanning product with the benefits of experience and thorough research. The company is due to launch its first self tanning product on May 1st providing a glamorous and organic alternative to traditional chemical laden cosmetics, which has been produced and packaged here in Ireland.

The founder and director of Decadence Cosmetics is Kassy Lucas who has put her 13 years of experience in the beauty industry towards creating this product. Starting out as a beauty therapist, Kassy moved into beauty tutoring and education before becoming a skincare consultant in Brown Thomas.

Throughout the development process Kassy was keen to maintain a 100 per cent Irish status. In an effort to support the Irish economy and to provide a product for consumers who wish to support Irish jobs. Decadence Self Tan Mist is manufactured here in Ireland and wrapped in recyclable packaging which has been produced on Irish shores.

This is a great new start up that not only supports being Irish but also supports recyclable packaging.

Happy Friday everyone.

A throwaway culture leads to clothing being thought of more like wrapping paper and less like reusable. It looks nice temporarily but as soon as it gets used its thrown away.

However our clothing culture is transforming, according to industry statistics. Resale shops have grown at least seven percent a year over the last two years. Has the stigma of buying used clothes finally lifted?

But there are many factors at work. Being Earth friendly is certainly a plus, but in an economic downturn second hand shops such as thrift shops look rather exciting. Throw in the prevalence of vintage inspired fashion and you have a recipe for responsible reuse.

Thrifting, of course is one of the easiest ways to recycle. Some argue that even though those pants might have been manufactured in China, once thrifted, the only carbon footprint associated with that item is the gas it took the donator to get it to the shop.

Happy thrifting people.

Click here to find out more.

Architectural salvage has many advantages. By buying used materials you are decreasing waste and helping the environment. More importantly, you are buying proven quality – salvaged goods that were made at a time when things were built to last.

The materials alone tell a story – oak railway sleepers, granite paving, limestone cobbles, cast iron, etc. These are recycled materials that not only stand the test of time, they improve with time.

For more information – Click Here

The FMCG firm is hosting an online event inviting people from governments, NGOs and businesses around the world to contribute their thoughts on ways to change consumer behaviour, sourcing, production and recycling.

Unilever hopes to use the event, and the knowledge gleaned from the conversations, to help make its business and brands more sustainable. It will also publish the findings for all participants to use within their own organisations.

The 24-hour global event, called the Sustainable Living Lab, will run online on 25 April – the day after Unilever publishes a progress report on its sustainability commitments.

Paul Polman, Unilever CEO, says the firm will “learn from others, inspire fresh thinking and share good practice”.

The FMCG firm set out ambitious environmental commitments under its Sustainable Living Plan in November 2010, including its aims to halve the environmental footprint of its products and source 100% of its agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020.

It is also working with Sainsbury’s and the Forum for the Future, to develop an online toolkit to help other organisations to develop sustainable initiatives that generate profit.

The online event will be hosted by independent research consultancy GlobeScan.

Over the weekend Irish people will have consumed 1,000 tonnes of chocolate, creating 32,000 tonnes of paper waste – 70% the weight of the Titanic.

If it is too late to take it off your hips at least make yourself feel better by recycling the boxes. Check out recyclemore.ie to find your nearest recycling center or bottle bank or you can check out our app Recyclemore. We are hoping to break last years target of 18,000 tonnes of materials recycled over the Easter holiday period so help us break it.