The people of Clare are being urged to play their part in preventing the amount of waste generated leading up to and during the Christmas period.
“I am delighted that the Clare County Council’s Environment Section is issuing this important advice to the public on how they can minimise the impact on the environment at Christmas time” said Mayor of Clare, Councillor Cathal Crowe. “Christmas time is a time of year that generates a lot of waste. By managing your waste responsibly and taking steps to prevent, reduce and reuse this Christmas you will reduce your carbon footprint and help preserve our earth’s limited natural resources.
“With the Christmas holidays comes lots of extra packaging, particularly in the home,” explained Karen Foley, Environmental Awareness Officer, Clare County Council. She continued, “where packaging cannot be reused or upcycled much of this packaging can be recycled. The online service mywaste.ie is a one-stop-shop for all matters relating to the management of household waste. This resource also includes an A-Z on what can or cannot be recycled.
Recyclables can also be brought to of one of five Clare’s recycling centres and transfer stations. A carload of recyclable waste brought to Ballyduffbeg, Lisdeen, Shannon, Scariff and Ennis costs as little as €5.00.
The public are also reminded that they can bottles and aluminium cans to bring banks located around Clare for free”
“We are reminding the public to keep these bring bank sites clean and tidy by depositing only bottles and aluminium cans into the banks during the festive season. Boxes, bags or other materials used to carry recyclables must be taken home,” added Ms. Foley. “Bring banks are serviced regularly. However there is huge demand on sites at this time of year. Where bring banks are full, alternatives sites should be used. We thank the public for their co-operation.”
12 Tips to Prevent and Reduce Your Waste This Christmas:
*Choose products with less packaging. Say no to excess packaging.
*Buy experiences rather than gifts!
*Cook your present! – invite friends over for dinner as a present and prepare a special meal of their favourite foods.
*More gift ideas – other great gift ideas include upcycled Christmas tree decorations, native trees vouchers, solar powered radios and torches, energy saving light bulbs, aid for development work overseas, or a home composter.
*Offset extra miles – give a tree or garden plant as a gift to help offset the extra miles travelled at Christmas.
*Buy a battery charger – avoid gifts which require batteries, or purchase a battery recharger and rechargeable batteries.
*E-cards – Why not send a festive e-card instead of a paper one, or make your own from paper and textile scraps you find around the house
*Alternative wrapping – Try alternative wrappings like newspaper, old material and string or ribbon that can be reused. Or consider gift bags as they can be reused over and over.
*Shopping bags – Bring your own reusable bags when shopping. Say no to plastic bags.
*Make a list! – Make a shopping list so you’re not tempted to buy things you don’t really need or want.
*Low food air miles – Shop for locally produced food or fair trade labels. Challenge yourself to make dinner entirely from locally produced produce.
*Food for thought – At least 30% of all the food we buy is thrown out! Visit www.stopfoodwaste.iefor inspiring ideas on how to shop smarter for food over the festive period as well as recipes for what to do with leftovers.
*Recycle – remember to use your dry recyclable collection provided by your waste collector – for a list of what can recycled visit www.mywaste.ie. To prevent contamination in the household recycling bin it is important to ensure that items being placed in this bin are clean, empty and loose. You can also use your local bottle bank and/or Recycling Centre.
*Buying presents – buy locally produced gifts, you’re supporting local jobs and helping the environment by reducing air miles. Treat someone to an “experience present” such as theatre or concert tickets, evening classes, restaurant vouchers, etc. to cut down on Christmas packaging.
Details regarding recycling centre locations, opening times and recycling costs are available from www.clarecoco.ie.
