13 minute read
Environment
Park 100’s green credentials
Congratulations to Wexford company Park 100 Fire & Security for achieving EcoMerit Certification in recognition of its action on the environment and taking a lead on climate action and sustainability in business. Last week, Wexford Co. Councillor and EcoMerit Oversight Board Chair Leonard Kelly and EcoMerit Managing Director Phil Walker presented Park 100 with their EcoMerit Certificate (see pic above). Park 100 are Security and Life Safety Specialists with 25 years of experience in security, detection, and monitoring services. They accessed the Green for Micro programme via LEO Wexford to kickstart their sustainability journey and receive two days worth of fully funded expert Green Mentoring from EcoMerit. Improvement opportunities identified included ways of reducing energy and water usage at headquarters as well as reducing the carbon footprint of their fleet of company vehicles. For more information contact the Wexford Local Enterprise Office. n
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Reserve a radon monitor at your library
Radon monitors are now available for all Wexford library members in the county to borrow. The monitors can be borrowed for a four-week period, and come with instruction leaflets.
Eco-Kind – Enniscorthy’s eco-friendly shop at Duffry Hill, now has Enniscorthy's first free filtered water refill station, thanks to Refill Ireland and their commitment to providing plastic-free water options for communities.
So spread the word, and bring along and refill your reusable water bottles, and while there check out the huge range of eco-friendly products available in-store and cut down on all your packaging waste. n
Wexford student doing her bit for the Circular Economy
A Wexford student is among a group enrolled in a unique training course set up to combat a major national shortage of white goods repair technicians. Tanya Ryan from Wellingtonbridge and her fellow students received a Ministerial seal of approval on 25th January when Junior Minister Ossian Smyth visited the FIT (Fastrack to Information Technology) centre in Dunshaughlin to meet participants enrolled in the first Irish course of its kind in a decade.
Minister Smyth, who has responsibility for the Circular Economy, paid tribute to the various groups behind the ‘Circular Economy Skills Initiative’, which is training a new generation of repair engineers. It aims to reverse a countrywide shortage of white goods repair technicians, producing enough qualified experts to extend the lives of fixable electrical appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and dryers. “This is a great new initiative and will be instrumental in making the circular economy real for consumers and industry alike. Having qualified technicians available to undertake quality repairs gives confidence to users that repaired goods
Ossian Smyth TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, with student Tanya Ryan from Wellingtonbridge, Co. Wexford. Pic: Andres Poveda Photography.
can be trusted and are great value. I wish this first cohort of trainees well in what promises to be a very rewarding career,” said Minister Smyth.
The course began in November thanks to an initiative between the White Goods Association (WGA), WEEE Ireland and technical training agency FIT, supported by Louth and Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) and the CIRCULÉIRE Innovation Fund – Ireland’s first industryled innovation network dedicated to accelerating the circular economy.
Last month, Minister Smyth launched Ireland’s first Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy, which sets out a vision for Ireland’s transition to circularity; explaining the concept of the circular economy, describing what initiatives are already happening, what opportunities are available and how Government will drive the changes required. n
Senator Byrne takes lead role in Gorey’s Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne is bringing forward legislation to the Sea- tackling illegal nad that will underpin the use of CCTV, Drone and Automated Number Plate Recognition technology by local authorities to dumping combat the scourge of illegal dumping.
Until now, there have been limits on how technology has been deployed by local authorities in this way.
Last year, Senator Byrne contacted local authorities and discovered that nationally, they spent in total up to €100 million a year dealing with illegal dumping and littering.
Senator Byrne said, “This is a really crucial piece of legislation and urgently needed. Like most people I am frustrated and angry by the tiny minority who engage in illegal dumping. It is just awful to see bags of rubbish dumped indiscriminately. Our beauty spots are being destroyed and the waste poses a hazard to animals.
“This is as much an urban problem as a rural one.
"I know this annoyance is shared by councillors across the country. This bill is intended to empower local authorities to authorise the installation and operation of surveillance devices for the purposes of deterring, preventing, detecting and prosecuting certain offences.
“It will provide for the exchange of certain data from third party data controllers to local authorities for the purposes of the performance of their functions in relation to such offences and to make certain provision for the purposes of regulating the performance of functions under this Act and to provide for related matters.” n
Breaking up this Valentine’s Day!
This Valentine’s Day show your love for the ocean – Break Up With Plastic! Valentine’s Day is a time to reflect and appreciate the relationships in our lives. However, it can also be a time to reflect on our relationship to things that may not be benefitting us or our environment. Such as single-use plastic. This February, the Clean Coasts organisation is calling for people all over Ireland to end their relationship with single-use plastic items they thought they couldn’t live without by finding new, more sustainable items to love, and sharing what some of their favourite plastic-free alternatives are! Why #BreakUpWithPlastic? Recent statistics show that Ireland is the number one plastic waste producer in the European Union, with 54kg of plastic waste per person produced each year, as well as being the country with the fourth-lowest recycling rate. Ireland has some of the most diverse and spectacular coastlines in the world. However, our excessive use of plastic is polluting our oceans and it is having impacts on our waterways and threatening our marine wildlife and people’s health. According to Ocean Conservancy’s Coastal Clean-up Report 2021, the most common items found on the Irish Coast were plastic food wrappers, cigarette butts and plastic beverage bottles.
In 2021, the EU ban on certain single-use plastic items was transposed into their national law by member states, including Ireland, and certain items were banned from the Irish market, such as cotton bud sticks, plastic cutlery, plates, stirrers, straws, and balloon sticks. However, there is still more we can do. The #BreakUpWithPlastic initiative aims to raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on our planet and marine environment by asking people to stop opting for single-use plastic. Clean Coasts and the Think Before You Flush campaign will be hosting a social media live session on 14th February to discuss the impact of plastic on the marine environment, how to reduce plastic within our communities and actions that can be taken to protect our ocean from home. Check out how other people have already made the switch from plastic on social media @CleanCoasts. All positive actions make a difference!
Join the campaign on social media @CleanCoasts and at www.cleancoasts.org n
Contract signed for new Kilmore Quay sewerage scheme
Irish Water, working in partnership with Wexford County Council, will commence works on a new sewerage scheme and wastewater treatment infrastructure for Kilmore Quay in the coming weeks. It has been announced that John Sisk and Sons Ltd. has signed the contract with Irish Water to carry out works on the utility’s behalf to end the discharge of raw sewage into the Eastern Celtic Sea with works on the project due for completion in 2024. Once completed, the new sewer infrastructure will ensure compliance with wastewater discharge regulations. It will also improve the performance of the sewer network and water quality in the receiving waters and the Celtic Irish Sea. The new scheme will involve the design and construction of a new wastewater treatment plant, underground pumping stations, pipelines, as well as testing and commissioning works. All new infrastructure will be sized to serve existing and future populations and the
Kilmore Quay marina.
new wastewater infrastructure will enhance local amenities and provide a platform for social and economic development. Director of Services with Wexford County Council Eamonn Hore stated that, “It has been a long road to get to this point, however the future is bright for Kilmore Quay following this fantastic news. Together with the current sewerage scheme works in Arthurstown, Ballyhack and Duncannon this represents a major improvement in Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure in Co. Wexford.” n
Wexford householders urged to avail of free e-waste recycling event
Wexford householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a free collection day to help the county meet recycling targets which have increased since the first lockdown in 2020.
The event, hosted by WEEE Ireland supported by Wexford County Council, takes place on Saturday February 19 at Wexford Race Course from 10am to 4pm in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines.
All household items with a plug or a battery will be accepted free of charge, including old washing machines, TVs, toasters and kettles, electronic tools and toys, cables, IT equipment, mobile phones, remote controls, and even watches.
“In Wexford, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever –with the annual tonnage on the market rising from 15kg a head in 2016 to 21kg a head last year,” said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.
“Shopping stats during the pandemic showed a surge in spend on new electrical devices like mobile phones, computers, small kitchen appliances and white goods. “With many old items still lying around, we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free. “People in Wexford have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, and we want to encourage that trend.” A surge in lockdown spring-cleaning saw 1,879 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Wexford by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2020, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions.
12.6kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Wexford last year – exceeding both the 2019 collection rate of 11.3kg, and the 2020 national average – 10.9kg per person. However, the county’s e-waste target for 2022 has increased to 14kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.
“84% of all material that we collect is recovered for use again in manufacturing through both indigenous operators and specialist processors in Europe,” said Mr. Donovan.
“Most end-of-life products contain metals and minerals in higher concentrations than primary resources. “These stock of resources are the urban mines of the future, so our recycling efforts can have a significant impact on the environment.”
In 2020, the equivalent of 225,182 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling e-waste through the WEEE Ireland Scheme as opposed to landfilling. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon consumption of 4,504 hectares of trees.
WEEE Ireland accounts for over twothirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,189 producer members. “Recycling e-waste is incredibly beneficial for both the environment and the economy,” says Cliona Connolly, Environmental Awareness Officer at Wexford County Council. “Together, we are diverting waste from landfill, recovering raw materials for reuse and ensuring hazardous materials are safely and responsibly disposed of. “We look forward to working with WEEE Ireland and Wexford householders to hopefully recycle a recordbreaking amount of electronic waste in 2022.” n
About WEEE Ireland:
WEEE Ireland (Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is a not-for-profit organisation, founded by producers of electrical and electronic appliances to help them comply with the legal obligations imposed by the EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC and WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU. WEEE Ireland manages the collection of household e-waste, lighting and solar PV equipment and batteries from authorised collection points for recycling, on behalf of over 1,100 producer members. WEEE Ireland’s objective is to provide cost effective quality compliance for producers to meet the requirements of the regulations whilst minimising the cost to the consumer. WEEE Ireland supports indigenous recycling facilities with WEEELABEX (European quality recycling standards) certified recycling partnerships. There are a number of recycling operators certified to the WEEELABEX standard on the Island of Ireland: KMK Metals Recycling Tullamore, Irish Lamp Recycling Athy, ENVA Toomebridge fridge recycling in Northern Ireland and Wistek in Cork. n
Wexford householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to a free collection day hosted by WEEE Ireland supported by Wexford County Council, which takes place on Saturday February 19 at Wexford Racecourse from 10am to 4pm in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines.
Curracloe named Best Beach in Ireland
Curracloe Beach was named the Best Beach in Ireland in the Irish Independent's 2022 Reader Travel Awards announced last week. The Blue Flag Wexford beach was given the top spot on the Top 10 list in the country by the paper's readers, with mention of the beauty of the nearby Raven Nature Reserve as well. Pól Ó Conghaile, well known travel writer and Irish Independent journalist, speaking of the award for Curracloe, said: “Of course, words like ‘beautiful’ and ‘clean’, and phrases like ‘miles and miles of sand’ cropped up time and again in your comments on Curracloe, Co. Wexford. But so did oodles of others, reflecting the diversity, scale and treasure trove of memories this strand provides. Curracloe feels ‘unspoilt’, you told us. ‘Once you go over the dunes, you could just pretend you’re a world away.’ It’s ‘just bliss’, ‘not commercialised’ and ‘like being in Portugal’, readers said –‘the abroad feeling at home’”.
The Irish Independent noted that Curracloe Beach stretches over 10km, it’s close to Wexford, safe for swimming, has a Blue Flag, big car park and decent facilities (including the brilliant Surf Shack). “This Wexford wonder has been ‘amazing – hail, rain or shine’ for generations, you said. ‘Every time we’ve been, it has given us beautiful pics and memories.’” n
Paddleboarding at Curracloe at sunrise. Pic: Visit Wexford.
Tractor Run in Craanford
Tractors filling up the car park at the MARKIE DOYLE MEMORIAL VINTAGE ROAD RUN in Craanford, Gorey, on 30th January in aid of North Wexford Hospice Homecare.
‘I want this one’, says young Tiernan Greene at the Tractor and Vintage road run in Craanford in aid of North Wexford Hospice Homecare.
Above: Lisa Moore with a boot full of goodies as she prepares to go on the MARKIE DOYLE MEMORIAL VINTAGE ROAD RUN. Right: Looking over an old time tractor was Ian Porter. Let her rip! Ultan and Ana McGinty, new to the area, making themselves at home at the vintage road run.
Raring to go were Terry Moore and Ned Duffy with their impressive vintage car.
