Repak Fosters Robert Bradford’s ‘Plastic Family’

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 01, 2008 – Dublin: 01.10.08; Reapk Recycling Week 2008 is launching with a splash of colour as they unveil artist Robert Bradford to Ireland for the first time for a 10 day exhibition in the windows of BT2 Grafton St, featuring his unique recycled sculptures. The exhibition will start on the 1st of October and will run right through Repak Recycling Week which takes place from the 6th-12th October.

As Repak host their 8th Annual Repak Recycling Week campaign with the theme ‘Recycle More- Let’s Get it Sorted’ Robert’s work will serve to encourage people to look at all the different types of material that can be recycled and to realize that recycled materials have an afterlife and are not finished once they go in to the green bin.

This year Repak are calling on householders and businesses to help achieve an ambitious Packaging recycling target of 750,000 tonnes. This target is up 100,000 tonnes on last year which means recyclers need to increase their recycling rate by 15%.

Andrew Hetherington commenting on this target said “Irish Consumers have to be commended for the achievements to date. They have recycled over 3.6 million tonnes of packaging waste in the last 11 years which is the equivalent of 2.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions savings, making it one of the top six EU member states for packaging recycling. However, this year we are asking people to recycle more and to check every item of packaging in the house and consider whether it can be placed in their Household recycling bins or brought to a recycling centre”

As well as the art exhibition Repak have many other initiatives planned to help raise awareness of recycling during Repak Recycling Week:
•   Repak have also launched a new website called Recyclemore.ie which is designed to encourage more packaging recycling in the Home, Office and School. Teachers and families can download posters from the site get them actively involved in recycling activities over the week.
•   Posters detailing common packaging items that can be recycled have been distributed nationwide to local libraries.
•   Repak in conjunction with REHAB Recycling are postering bottle banks nationawide to highlight the amount of glass we are still not recycling
•   Repak have also developed a Bebo page specifically for Repak Recycling Week 2008 and which will enable the online audience to engage with Repak over the week and view hints and tips on recycling in the household as well as videos and images of the art exhibition in situ
•   Also it is running an educational campaign with ENFO where by information will be displayed in ENFO offices about recycling in the home and recycling from different rooms in the home. This information will be in the ENFO offices for the whole month of October.
•   The 7th Annual Repak awards will also take place during the week on Thursday the 9th of October at the Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin.  The awards recognise the efforts and ingenuity of its Repak Industry Members, Local Authorities and Collectors in the area of packaging prevention, reuse and recycling.  There will be more details on the winners and finalists issued during the week

Robert’s art is one example of how recycled materials are used once they have been collected from a household’s green bin but many materials can be used over and over again to create different items:
•   27 recycled PET plastic bottles will create one fleece jacket
•   670 aluminium cans can create one bicycle
•   19,000 steel cans can be used to make one car
•   150 recycled plastic PET bottles is enough to make a rug or small carpet
•   1 steel can be used to make one key and by producing the key from the recycled steel it saves up to 80% of the energy needed to create the key

Robert’s most recent work which is entitled ‘Plastic Family’ is primarily made from old and recycled toys and 12 pieces of his work will be on display in the windows of BT2 Grafton St and BT2 Dundrum over the duration of Repak Recycling Week which runs from the 6th-12th of October.

Brown Thomas and BT2 are long standing members of Repak contributing towards the recovery and recycling of the packaging they supply to their customers. Through participating members, Repak last year raised €27 millon in Packaging levies to support packaging recycling in Ireland.

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