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THE DEFENCE Forces have gone green by recycling up to 70 per cent of the waste they generate, slashing the volume going to landfill by more than three-quarters over the past eight years from 6,000 to 1,300 tonnes annually.

The cost of dealing with waste has also dropped dramatically, from €1.3 million in 2002 to an estimated €450,000 this year – largely as a result of switching from 16 local waste disposal contracts to a single fixed-price contract, tendered every three years.