Environment

from Slaney News, Issue 137, October 2021

Business & Finance

National Reuse Month

Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Barbara-Anne Murphy (left) at FCJ, Bunclody, for the launch of National Reuse Month.

October is Ireland's National Reuse Month, with the aim to inspire and provide the skills and tools to reuse more in every aspect of our lives. To cut down on waste and greenhouse gas emissions, one can begin to prioritise repair and reuse this October. Why not try to buy second-hand, upcycle something, borrow, swap and refill. This avoids the need to extract raw materials, manufacture and distribute new stuff, and avoids waste – all of which cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. Why not make a commitment to reuse as many things as possible to save the environment this October?

Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council, officially launched National Reuse Month. Joining her at the launch was Mr. Brendan Daly, Principal of FCJ Secondary, Bunclody, Ms. Samantha Hughes, Green School Co-ordinator, and their student water ambassadors.

Speaking at the launch, Cllr Barbara-Anne said, “Reuse Month is about inspiring people to make use of the items that may otherwise go to waste. Reuse is about valuing our stuff, by using and reusing it for as long and as often as possible. At times we forget to consider where things came from or went to after we use them –never mind the environmental consequences of using up primary resources and dumping waste. Reuse is good for the environment and good for your pocket. I encourage all residents of County Wexford to get involved in National Reuse Month.”

Also present at the launch, Cliona Connolly, Environmental Awareness Officer, Wexford County Council, added, “Throughout October we invite everyone, whether a school, sports club, community group or business, to join us for Reuse Month. Maybe you want to attend a workshop or take part in a competition. We have initiatives to suit everyone this year, from how to encourage reuse and cut out disposable plastics at your sports club or school to upcycling everything from fashion to furniture. All of our events are now listed on www.wexfordcoco.ie.“

UPCOMING LOCAL EVENTS:

7th October 2021: Refill workshop for Secondary Schools (see details of the competition tied in with this: https://waterford.submit.com/) 19th October 2021: Conscious Cup workshop for businesses, Tidy Towns groups and others.

21st October 2021: Furniture Upcycling workshop with Marianne Heaphy of The Revamp Tramp. October: Fast Fashion Presentation and Teachers Resource available free to all Secondary Schools in County Wexford. 2nd November 2021: Sustainable Living. This is a two-hour workshop that helps people find easy and enjoyable ways to move towards more sustainable living. With Aoife Munn, Environmentalist and Horticulturist, with a focus on sustainability through practical learning. Register now for this event at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/sustainable-living-2hr-workshop-sponsoredby-wexford-county-council-tickets-177372 715567

Also this Reuse Month: Sports Club Competition – for more information on how to reduce plastics at your sport club, see www.wexfordcoco.ie

To find out more about Reuse Month and events happening in your area, visit www.mywaste.ie/reuse-month/ MyWaste is challenging you to unearth the imagination within and create something new out of something old… to breathe new life into an old or unwanted item or material. So if you can find something old and renovate it or turn it into something completely different but still usable then you can enter the Upcycle Challenge at https://www.mywaste.ie/upcycle-challenge21/ For further information please contact Cliona Connolly 053 9196475 or cliona.connolly@wexfordcoco.ie n

Senator Malcolm Byrne

Senator Byrne welcomes smoky Senator Malcolm Byrne has welcomed the announcement in early coal ban September by Environment Minister Eamon Ryan that from next year there will be a ban on the sale of smoky coals. Malcolm pointed out that this could save up to 1,500 lives in Ireland annually as a result of better air quality. The Senator has campaigned for a long time on this issue having been shocked by the extent to which the air in Co. Wexford’s four main towns is being polluted and the impact that this is having on people with respiratory illnesses and heart difficulties. He pointed out, “The levels of air pollution measured in our four main towns is frightening. In many cases, levels of pollution were recorded at over ten times what is regarded as safe by the World Health Organisation. Enniscorthy and New Ross were particularly bad at times, but even Wexford town, which did have a ban on the sale of smoky coals in the town, still saw higher levels than were safe.” “I knew from talking to people with asthma, with COPD, the impact that the poor air quality was having on them. Some told me of their reluctance to go out at night when a dense smoky fog descended on their towns.” In 2015, then Councillor Byrne brought a motion to Wexford County Council to make Wexford a smoky-coal-free zone. Moves for this to happen were resisted by the Department as it wanted to develop a nationwide ban. He has regularly raised the issue in Leinster House. “I am happy this is finally happening and that our air quality will improve. There are more sustainable fuel sources available that are better value for money, including smokeless coal, and we need to promote their use,” he added. From 2022, coal, coal-based products, any manufactured solid fuel or peat briquettes sold in the State will be required to have a smoke emission rate of less than 10grams/hour, reducing to 5g/hr by 2025. Sulphur content permitted for all fuels will be reduced from 2 per cent to 1 per cent over time. Wood sold in single units under two cubic metres in size will be required to have a moisture content of 25 per cent or less moving to 20 per cent within four years. Wet wood sold over these volumes will be required to come with instructions for the purchaser on how to dry this wood. To accommodate those with rights to harvest sod peat, no ban on its burning will be introduced. n

School Bikes Africa Project

Wexford County Council together with Rotary Wexford Branch, Rotary Ireland, The Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service are appealing for the donation of unwanted bikes for the School Bikes Africa Initiative. The Project has been running for over 6 years nationally led by Rotary Ireland and with the co-operation and assistance of Local Authorities, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Defence Forces and the Prison Service. Over 5,000 bikes have been collected, repaired (within the prison service) and shipped to Africa to countries such as the Gambia where school students use the bikes to enable them to access education often over distances greater than ten kilometres to their schools. In seeking unwanted bikes Wexford County Council require:  Strong, sturdy bikes capable of withstanding rough terrain.  Bicycles that would suit primary or secondary school students.  Bicycles with mountain-bike-type tyres.  Bicycles with a minimum tyre size of 24 inches. The bicycles can be left into any of the Council’s 4 Household Recycling Centres in Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Holmestown, Barntown, Wexford, during opening hours of 08.1512.00 and 13.00-16.00 Tuesday to Friday, and 08.15-12.00 and 13.00-15.00 on Saturday. The scheme runs from Thursday 16th September through to Friday 17th December, 2021. Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy in launching the Project at the Holmestown Household Recycling Centre said, “This is a marvellous initiative and one that clearly demonstrates how the Council is trying to encourage the people of Wexford to prevent, reduce and reuse waste and it is apt that it will run during National Reuse month in October. Donating, revamping and repairing items are all forms of reuse and it affords people the chance to save money and to become part of an initiative that helps people in prison acquire new skills and young people in other countries a better chance to benefit from education. Wexford County Council is delighted to help facilitate this worthwhile project”. Calodagh McCumiskey, President of the Rotary Club of Wexford, welcomed the project, “It is great to see such a successful and beneficial project coming to Wexford. The project is good for the environment, good for personal development and it gives school students in Africa a better chance to maintain their access to education. I appeal to Wexford householders to check their garages, sheds and attics for repairable bikes that would be suitable to be fixed up and despatched to students in Africa.”

Jason Dempsey of Rotary Ireland summed it up in saying, “The School Bikes Africa Initiative is a Win, Win, Win; a Win for climate change given the benefits of repair and reuse as well as promoting sustainable transport. A Win for prison inmates providing opportunities for training and rehabilitation, and a Win for school students in Africa in providing a better chance for availing of education”. This initiative is funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communication Anti-Dumping Initiative 2021 and is co-ordinated through the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs). n

Enniscorthy’s ongoing water issues

Questions have been raised recently about the town’s capacity to grow further given the frequent water outages experienced by the existing residents of the town. It’s difficult to see how the town can regenerate and grow further, both as regards population and in terms of new industry (e.g. the new Technology Park currently under construction), given that the existing water capacity is already under strain. This issue has been raised by Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Barbara-Anne Murphy among others, and Wexford Co. Council has conceded that it is indeed an issue. We understand that local Oireachtas members are regularly advocating with Irish water to address the situation.

Big Beach Clean

WELL DONE TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS NATIONWIDE WHO HELPED IN THE RECENT CLEAN-UP OF OUR COUNTRY'S BEACHES...

This year, a record number of over 400 cleanups were organised by volunteers who removed 42 tonnes of litter across the country. In County Wexford, volunteers organised clean-ups in 19 different locations, removing 1.2 tonnes of marine litter. Moreover, the Wexford Subaqua Club Clean Coasts group at Kilmore Quay removed additional bags of marine litter, as well as larger items such as ropes and lobster pots (see photo). Big Beach Clean: https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/bigbeach-clean/ n

Supporting ‘Make Way Day’

Launch of Make Way Day 2021 L-R: Caroline Horan, Access Officer, Wexford Co. Council; Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Barbara-Anne Murphy and Cathal Kearney, Access Department, Wexford County Council.

Make Way Day took place on Friday 24th September, with Wexford County Council once again supporting the event. ation of Ireland (DFI), has developed a short online survey that anyone can use to rate the accessibility of their local area. The link to the survey is available at www.makewayday.com n

Boost for Wellingtonbridge and Tagoat

Twenty-one additional wastewater treatment plants have been selected for upgrade as part of the Small Towns and Villages Growth Programme and forms part of Irish Water’s commitment to supporting growth and development in local towns and villages throughout the country, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies. Two Wexford plants are included: Wellingtonbridge (upgrade of capacity for Wellingtonbridge to provide for growth) and Grahormac, Tagoat (upgrade of the Tagoat wastewater treatment plant to provide additional capacity for growth). Senator Malcolm Byrne has welcomed the announcement. He said, “If we are to ensure that our villages and small towns can continue to grow, then we need investment in water and wastewater treatment. This is good news for Wellingtonbridge and Tagoat but there are a lot of other areas in Wexford that also need improvement and I’m continuing to lobby Irish Water and Minister Darragh O’Brien on this question.” n

Connecting along the Prom

The autumnal ambience of Enniscorthy’s Promenade was the perfect setting for the Enniscorthy ‘Connecting Community Event’ on Saturday morning 25th September, as the town’s Sustainable Energy Community group came together with other local groups and organisations to create awareness of ways for individuals and the town to become more energy efficient. Strolling along the Promenade, I came across Thomas McGuire from IEVOA (the Irish Electric Vehicle Owners Association) expounding the virtues of electric cars, and Grainne Kennedy of 3CEA (3 Counties Energy Agency) who had wonderful information on the variety of grants available to those who are interested in conserving energy. Eddie Wilson and Dearbhla Ní Laighin from Toastmasters were actively canvassing for new members, reminding all that the group meet every second Monday evening at 8pm at the IFA Centre. Anyone can go along for free to try it out – a great way to become more proficient in public speaking and handle all those Zoom calls!

Billy Murphy from Enniscorthy Tidy Towns was on hand with Michael Devereux of the Enniscorthy Community Allotments project which, he hopes, will be up and running in the very near future here in town. Michael is excited about the prospect as a vital component of healthy living, giving people the pleasure of growing their own organic produce, along with having a social outlet to visit and converse, gather and compare. Slaney Cycling was there with advice and tips on the very healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport –cycling, along with St. John’s Ambulance volunteers with AED demonstrations.

Chair of Wexford Co. Council BarbaraAnne Murphy, who attended the event, was delighted with the level of interest saying how extremely vital it is for us as a community to come out and reconnect following the terrible isolation and solitude of Covid lockdown, and how beneficial and cost-effective energy saving can be for both individuals and the town.

Already in Co. Wexford there are around 20 Sustainable Energy Community groups working towards great energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Patrick Rochford is setting up such a group in Wexford town and is looking for likeminded people. Contact him at 0863414223 for more information.

This is the way forward, this is the future, and according to Enniscorthy Sustainable Energy Community group members Irene Cadogan and Dervla Tierney – we will be hearing lots more about it in the weeks and months ahead, so do watch out for further information here in the Slaney News as we keep you up to date with all that is happening in Enniscorthy. For more see: https://3cea.ie and https://www.facebook.com/ennsdg

– Words and pics by Maria Nolan

L-R: Billy Murphy from Enniscorthy Tidy Towns with Michael Devereux of the Enniscorthy Community Allotments project.

Chair of Wexford Co. Council Barbara-Anne Murphy (left) with Irene Cadogan (second from right) and Dervla Tierney (far right) both of Enniscorthy Sustainable Energy Community group, and representatives of the 3 Counties Energy Agency.

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Above left: Maria Nolan with Eddie Wilson of the Enniscorthy Toastmasters group. Above right: Thomas McGuire from IEVOA (the Irish Electric Vehicle Owners Association) with Graham Cadogan (Enniscorthy Sustainable Energy Community group), at a Tesla electric car which costs just €1.50 per 100km to run.

Eddie Wilson of Enniscorthy Toastmasters group with Chair of Wexford Co. Council Barbara-Anne Murphy.

Dervla Tierney of Enniscorthy Sustainable Energy Community group with Michael Bennett, pioneer in the area of energy efficient buildings.

Bree Vintage Club annual Tractor Run in aid of Enniscorthy HOPE Centre and the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, Sunday, 19th September. Above left: Cathal loves watching the tractors with his mam Dawn and Peter Whelan. Above: Young farmers taking over!

Above left: Jack and Dave O’Connor. Above centre: Alelia Nolan. Above right: Hannah Finn and Laura Phayres.