A complaint that Dublin City Council misled householders by claiming that only glass collected from the council’s bottle banks can be recycled back into glass has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority today.
The complaint was made by the waste management firm Greenstar in relation to the local authority’s recent advertising campaign, which stated that “the only way that allows glass to be recycled as glass” is to bring different coloured glass to bottle banks.
The advertising campaign followed recent moves by the local authorities to prohibit the collection of glass at the kerbside through the imposition of waste bylaws.
The waste management firm argued that the campaign was misleading as glass-recycling companies in Ireland, including Greenstar, have technology that allows them to separate mixed coloured glass into their separate colours and recycle them back into glass.
Speaking after the ruling was announced, Greenstar’s head of Sales & Marketing, Michael Sanfey, said that local authorities had resorted to misleading advertisements in an attempt to force householders into using council-run bottle banks exclusively.
"Instead of making difficulties for private waste collectors such as Greenstar who are bringing choice, convenience and innovation to householders, the local authorities should be working with private collectors to ensure that we meet Ireland’s ambitious recycling targets and help the environment at the same time," said Mr Sanfey.
