New figures showing just half of people properly separate their recycling from general waste at home are ‘jaw-dropping’ and ‘shameful’, Shane Coleman has warned.

A new Repak survey published to highlight World Earth Day today shows that just 33% of people find recycling straightforward.

Meanwhile, just 52% say they always separate their recycling into the correct bins at home – and just 28% say they do it while out and about.

'Shameful'

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, presenter Shane Coleman criticised those who are failing to recycle properly.

“Let's call this out for what it is, half of the people admit they couldn't be arsed separating their rubbish,” he said.

“It's jaw-dropping, the figures – and it's shameful and it's lazy.

“Like, I think we see it as well with the bring it back, [Deposit Return] scheme, the moaning and whinging about that.

“I think it goes back, ultimately, to the fact that people couldn't care less and they just couldn't be bothered doing it and if we can't do this, if we can't separate our rubbish, how are we going to do the much more difficult things?”

Recycling bin on Grafton Street in Dublin

Shane said people must remember they have a duty to society to recycle properly.

“I mean, this is basic,” he said.

“It's the same as, I hear people saying, ‘I don't want to have a brown bin because it's too smelly’ and they are a bit smelly, but you know what? It's your rubbish.

“So like, sort it out; don't leave it to somebody else to sort it out.

“If you can't be bothered to separate your rubbish … I just think it just shows that we have an extraordinary lack of awareness when it comes to civic society in our country.

“It’s one of our national failings and it is manifest in this.”

A worker checks the mountains of plastic bottles compressed into blocks at the Panda Recycling plant in Dublin, 30-04-2018. Image: RollingNews

According to the survey, just half of people check whether a package can be recycled before they dispose of it – and just one-in-ten (11%) check before buying it.

Some 27% of people say they check at both purchase and disposal.

Fellow presenter Ciara Kelly said we need to do more to make recycling easy for people.

“Recycling has been around for decades here and if we're still doing it badly, they need to do something to incentivize us to do it better,” she said.

“I do think that because, if you really want to influence society, you've got to make the right choice – and I'm using inverted comma fingers for that, the right choice.

“[Let’s call it] the easy choice; if you don't make it the easy choice, then don't expect, you know, every single person to jump on board with it.

“If you don't make the right choice, the easy choice, people don't do it.

Look in the mirror

Shane warned that not everything can be blamed on the Government.

“It can't always be up to the State,” he said. “It can't always be up to the Government.”

“Sometimes we have to look in the mirror.”

Ireland currently looks set to miss its EU target of recycling 50% of all plastic packaging by 2025.

According to the Repak survey 34% will be disappointed by the failure and 17% will be frustrated.

The survey was carried out among 1,000 people.