A few years ago, who would have guessed that Skibbereen would be home to Olympic and World champion rowers? It just goes to show what can be done with talent, know-how and a lot of hard work.

Now let’s also work on tackling the climate crisis!

A group of local environmentally focussed organisations, led by Sustainable Skibbereenand Green Skibbereen,has set up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC). The steering committee is spearheaded by Liam McLaughlin, a local expert on alternative energy and energy conservation.

The SECis committed to making Skibbereen carbon neutral by 2040 with an interim goal of a 50% reduction on energy-related emissions by 2030. These goals match the science behind the Paris Agreement, signed in 2015. Carbon neutral means that there will be no net increase in the release of carbon dioxide, with a corresponding reduction in our dependency on the harmful burning of fossil fuels.

The SEC willdraw up an Energy Master Plan (EMP) for Skibbereen town in the course of 2022. Funding has been obtained from the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) https://www.seai.ie/. The Master Plan will provide a pathway for the decarbonisation (reduction in carbon-dependent energy use) of homes, businesses, public services, and transport within the town.

The SEC calls itself Net Zero Skibbereen (NZS) and aims to achieve the target by engaging with the community and encouraging as many individuals and businesses as possible to learn about the causes and effects of climate change and to participate in efforts to decarbonise the town.

There are many challenges and barriers to achieving our goal. However, the benefits of reduced expenditure on energy, improved health and comfort are well worth the effort and will benefit everyone. After all, the downsides of continued inaction are potentially catastrophic in terms of extreme weather effects, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss.

Ambitious? Yes! Will we achieve it? Like the Olympians, we can use the available talent and work hard in the right direction. We hope to raise as much, if not more, public support for this project as the Olympic rowers generated.

Anyone from the Skibbereen locality is more than welcome to get involved in this ambitious and critical initiative. Please contact netzeroskibb@gmail.com. As soon as a public meeting is called you’ll hear it first.Here, and on our Sustainable SkibbereenFacebook page!

Waste management. I cannot believe this is not mentioned as part of the Development plan as it is integral if areas are to have increased housing and business. While Ireland currently recycles 33% of all plastics, higher than most EU countries, that figure needs to rise to 50% in 2025 and 55% by 2030 to meet EU targets. 40% of all municipal waste is recycled. But where?

General. Recycling and waste bring centres should be expanded and rationalised so that a visitor is clear what materials are taken and the same things are taken across the county. Each centre should also have the facility to take some domestic rubbish especially in small towns where the surrounding areas may not have door to door collection.Skibbereen has just adopted this scheme, which, although expensive, is appreciated. Recycling of cans and bottles is well established, but a deposit scheme for glass bottles would save on energy (Energy) if they were washed and reused. A collect and return scheme would be needed to get them back to the manufacturer or a bottle sanitising plant. Which could return the clean bottles to the manufacturer in the same way the new ones were sent out for filling.

Recycling systems can include a more rigorous sorting of materials into say plastic bottles, soft plastic and black plastic to improve prices fetched for recyclable material.

Communities could be funded to set up repair cafes. An attempt in Skibbereen was scuppered by the lack of insurance cover. Insurance companies need to be held to account for their refusal to cover community schemes. O’Donovan’s hotel in Clonakilty had to stop the rent a bike scheme through lack of insurance. This needs addressing countywide and nationwide.  Repair cafes and freecycle groups keep materials out of the waste stream for longer and provide opportunities for socialising and innovative business. (Community). Principles of the circular economy should be adopted to keep as much material in circulation for as long as possible in its different forms before it finally goes for recycling.

Recycling Centre with more space could devote and area for people to buy or take for free others unwanted but usable items. Skibbereen has Lisheens House which takes used furniture and sells it for funds and is a much valued resource for furniture and for assistance with mental health.

Food waste: The average household in Ireland is responsible for 117kgs of Food Waste pa. Provision of land for allotments and community gardens in town areas provide not only a space to restore well being and meet others, but also a place to grow food.(Community) This reduces food miles (Energy), is more likely to be produced organically (Biodiversity) and can provide composting areas to keep food and vegetable waste out of the urban waste stream. One Green Village Baltimore is setting up such a scheme. In areas where this cannot happen, collection points at the local recycling centres could be serviced by local farmers or other enterprise with space and facilities to compost efficiently. Money could be recouped by selling bags of compost. Tidy towns and other interested parties could be involved in smaller scale ventures, perhaps on street and housing estate level. This is being looked at by Sustainable Skibbereen. Local food markets selling local food reducing food miles (Energy) should be encouraged as people tend to bring their own bags and only buy what they need, rather than the ‘two for one’ special offers encouraging over buying where often the second often unwanted portion lands up in the bin.

Plastic.

It is quite clear that plastic has become a major pollutant of land, sea and more recently, air.

Another huge issue is the pollution of the seas, beaches and coastline especially by plastics. A lot of this is in the form of ghost fishing nets found at sea, but also it is clear that on some piers, Baltimore being an example, uncontrolled waste due to net maintenance, where small pieces of cut off nets are left lying around and blow straight into the sea, as is quite evident from the plastic collected from nearby beaches by volunteers. These could be hoovered up from the pier as soon as the net maintenance is finished if there was the machine and enough pressure to do so. The harbour masters should be educated to see the problems of waste plastic in the oceans and given the responsibility of clearing up everything. In my experience some people ignore the small pieces as the large nets are put to one side. Collection of plastics from the sea by boats is encouraged but it is common knowledge that a lot of rubbish is still thrown overboard out of sight of land. County Cork could work towards a more responsible fishing industry community and port management. The County spends a considerable amount in disposal of unwanted nets collected at port and the reason for this waste could be examined with the purpose of reducing it. The leisure craft side also holds a huge responsibility here. (Maritime Cork)

The Blue Flags awarded to beaches should include an element where the rubbish on the beach is included in the assessment for the award. (Green infrastructure). This should be made clear on the beaches themselves and visitors encouraged to take their litter home. On the busier beaches in the summer a beach patrol could be set up a mix of funded workers and volunteers to make visitors aware of the damage done to wildlife and a bit of fun around clearing up.

Ultimately because the plastics industry is driven by the oil industry and the marketing of plastic products is production driven not consumer led, there is a huge role for government on local, national and European levels. Presently the responsibility for disposal is pushed squarely in the shoulders of the consumer and the costs of disposal / recycling borne by them and the County Council. The choice of wrappings in the supermarkets is skewed in the case of fruit and veg towards plastic wrapped fruit as it is usually cheaper and so much easier to pick up one pack rather than select 6 individual apples for example.  Plastic is an amazing product which does its job exceedingly well but it shouldn’t be an instantly disposable product. We have only got to this stage because the cost of disposal/ recycling has not been taken into account in the manufacture. This has to be reversed. And less plastic used in wrapping will also reduce the amount of plastic rubbish strewn in our hedgerows and beaches. It is difficult to see how to dissuade the section of public who throw rubbish out of car windows and dump bags in the countryside.

Although Ireland recycles 40% of its waste, recycling of plastics has been shown to be a poor system. In the best of worlds it can only be recycled a small number of times and only 9% is generally recycled. How does Cork County Council check that what is sent for recycling actually gets recycled? This is an important question in the light of recent reports where UK recycling has been found on Turkish beaches.  Technologies should be looked at where plastic can be recycled locally ( Energy) or turned back into oil by pyrolysis to use as a raw material Incineration is a short term answer and its value increased by producing heat or electricity, but it is controversial as unless very carefully run it produces air pollutants. Incineration should not therefore be relied on as a way to remove plastic waste. Certain plastics can be used to produce long lasting structural plastics for domestic and commercial use such as fences and outdoor structures. This could be more easily achieved by better sorting of plastics at the source of collection to provide a cleaner supply. Deposit on bottles is a system long operated successfully in Germany. There is no reason why the reverse vending machines cannot be used in Ireland. Wy not start in County Cork? The Refill program for drinking water refilling stations reduces the need for plastic bottles of water (Energy). This is already in place I Skibbereen and Baltimore and could be further be rolled out in Cork County with the help of community groups, such as One Green Village Zero Waste and Tidy Towns. Keep cups are a growing trend but it has been up to individuals to take this up. Coffee outlets need to be encouraged, perhaps by. Increasing the tax on single use cups and reducing tax on the keep cups. The County Council and UCC have set a good example here by banning the disposables. While some single use plastics are being banned, the Council should take the matter to Government to reduce the production of the single use plastics again maybe by taxation and invest in development to produce long lasting reusable containers for transport of goods which can be taken back up the supply chain to be refilled. This could happen if suppliers got together to streamline container designs and rationalise supply chains. Tax incentives could work with supermarkets given a break if they adopt such schemes. Compostible containers have their place but it’s often confusing as to whether they are fully compostable in the domestic situation or whether they need high temperature composting by commercial facilities. Plastic producers could accordingly be taxed on the amount of material used for single use plastic bags for instance, or given the responsibility of their disposal or recycling. If being imported from outside the EU plastic rich products could be subject to higher import tax. The number of different types of plastic should also be reduced to enable easier recycling. The council could continue the analysis of their own (plastic) waste and look to its reduction. There could be prizes and recognition for companies who reduce their waste by a given amount.

Textiles usually include some synthetic forms these days, so a form of plastic. Waste is partly created by cheap imported clothing, items being worn very few times before discarding. Charity shops and others selling second hand clothing could have rates reductions as they are keeping clothing out of the waste stream. Enterprises using used cloth and other materials could be encouraged though schools and universities

The following information is from the informative SOS Skibbereen website linked here.

In the Irish Times article, below,  the EPA has classified microplastics as “a newly identified contaminant” in water sources, including drinking water, but said “the impact of them on people’s health has not yet been fully assessed and determined”. The EPA does not yet take into consideration the impact of microplastics in any assessment of planning applications by plastic manufacturers.

Link discovered between microplastics in rivers and wastewater treatment plants

That micro-plastics are a threat to our environment and our health is now becoming obvious. What is more serious, with regard to this proposed development, is the likelihood that these micro-plastics will contain many toxic chemicals and heavy metals due to the methods of production and the water based methods of removing contaminants from emissions.

The Air we Breathe

Interestingly, RTP Company in Winona does have to be licensed and is set in a Non Attainment Area, which means air pollution levels are high and persistently exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Indeed this area of Winona is persistently sub-standard for pollution levels of ozone, lead, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter.[i]

Particulate matter refers to small solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air and mostly formed as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide

Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals.

They are so small that they can be inhaled and cause serious health problems both to humans and to animals. Particles can be deposited on the vegetation in the surrounding environment and in the water.

Water and air quality report for RTP in Winona, Minnesota[ii]

https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000426628

Surface, Ground and River Water Contamination

RTP Company headquarters is in Winona, Minnesota. Winona includes a large area of Impaired Waters, which means the regulations and controls are not stringent enough to meet the water quality standards set by states for the quality of surface and ground waters. The RTP Company polymer compounding facility in Winona is close to the banks of the Mississippi and pollutants found in the river include Mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS).
The Mississippi River ranks 2nd in the nation for total toxic discharges. Along its course in Minnesota, 703,019 pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped by industrial facilities into the Mississippi River in 2010.[iii]

The planners assessment for the factory proposed for Skibbereen states that the “Main impact (will be) on local flora and fauna populations located downstream in the SAC from contaminated surface water on site”. This  report states that surface water run off will be discharged into an ‘existing drain’. However this drain is currently a stream that runs into the ‘Assolas Stream’ that travels alongside the Baltimore Road towards Skibbereen and into the Caol Stream. The Caol Stream runs into the River Ilen which flows out to the Roaring Water Bay SAC just 7 kms away from the proposed site.Indeed the planners report also states that all surface and process water will be discharged through Skibbereen Waste Water Treatment Plant, which in turn discharges into the River Ilen.

What contamination will be in the discharged water?

The company have not verified what toxins may be in the water discharged through the Skibbereen Waste Water Treatment plant or found in the run off from contaminated surface water on site, however we do know from the planning reports that they will be using

• Cadmium
• Bromine
• Cobalt
• Nickel
• Tin
• trace amounts of other Class II compounds
• Antimony
• Copper
• other Class III compounds will be used
• and that there is likely to be sulphur oxide released.

Looking at the parent company in Winona Toxics Release Inventory History of Reported Chemicals Released in Pounds per Year at the Site. [iv] shows that the greatest toxic release in 2017 was from Antimony Products.

Finely dispersed particles of ANTIMONY form explosive mixtures in air and there is a risk of fire and explosion on contact with acids or halogens.[v] This risk of fire also poses an even greater air-borne pollutant risk, via deposition to the surrounding area and the SACs of Roaring Water Bay and Lough Hyne.

We do not know if RTP/Daly Products intends to create the same end use polymer in Skibbereen as they do in Winona. They have supplied scant information in their planning application. That the EPA have not requested that they apply for an Integrated Pollution Control or an Environmental Impact Assessment Licence then is all the more puzzling.

The Massive Impact of Toxic Nurdles

Adding to the risk of heavy metals and other toxins entering the River Ilen and the Marine Environment is the risk of plastic micro-bead pollution.

The factory will ship in tiny pellets of raw polymer called Nurdles. Each bulk truck can carry about 2 billion nurdles per load
Around the world these pre-production polymer pellets or Nurdles regularly get spilled in production, in road and rail transport and in shipping.
This is such a big problem that the industry itself has an initiative called ‘operation clean sweep’ which publishes ‘best practice’ to keep Nurdles out of the environment.Operation clean sweep has been running for 25 years and yet if you Google Nurdles, or Nurdle Spills you will find pages upon pages of reports of current spills, of volunteer clean up operations and of devastation to wildlife.

Many clean up specialist brought in for large spills state that a large Nurdle Spill is worse than an oil spill.

One polymer compounding factory in Sweden stated “our aim is to not lose a single pellet.”

However a study by the university of Gothenburg and published in Marine Pollution Bulletin  estimated  the total release of 5mm preproduction pellets (NURDLES) from this very same site into the surrounding environment is 36 million pellets annually. If fragments of pellets (down to 300 μm) are counted there is an hourly runoff, of over 500,000 plastic particles per hour released into the environment.

The same study showed that wherever there were compounding sites there were greater numbers of nurdles and fragments in the environment; and there were also spills around areas of subcontracted companies involved in transport, storage, cleaning and waste management.

A study in the river Rhine in 2015 showed that 60% of the identified plastic particles were 5 mm spherules (Nurdles) with a linkage to different industries along the river.

A recent study in the UK indicates a national yearly loss of around 53 billion pellets even when there are no major Nurdle spill reported anywhere.

The Irish EPA has looked at plastic pellets in freshwater streams and has listed molluscs, fish, crustaceans, amphibians and mammals that are at risk from micro-plastic pollution, and 13 different birds of conservation concern that are at risk of micro plastic pollution. The plastic get into these freshwater streams and rivers from production spills into storm drains as well as spills from transport.

In April 2018 a single trailer turned over on a bend in the the road near Pocono creek which runs into the Delaware River in Philadelpia.  49,000 lbs of nurdles were spilled. That was 1,125,000,000 x5mm spherules of plastic released into the environment. Local volunteers were left to do the clean up.
One pound of pelletized HDPE contains approximately 25,000 nurdles

The Threat to Fisheries

The EPA in Ireland in their studies of plastic in the fresh water environment showed how the water slows down as it reaches the lower courses and so many of the plastic nurdles are deposited in the estuaries.

These are hard enough to pick up from sand; if they were in the mud of the estuary you would need a beak to pick them up.

This is a picture of them in clusters in the water. They look like fish eggs and so fish and birds eat them.
These plastic pellets attract persistent organic pollutants. They are called persistent because, like the pellets they don’t disappear over time. They are mostly endocrine disruptors and affect fish, birds and mammals ability to breed and to lactate.

A study on behalf of The EPA in Ireland  found manufacturing industries involved in the primary production and compounding of polymers, regulated under the IPPC licensing scheme, were found to emit micro-plastics (5 mm or smaller) to sewers. In one instance the EPA found that even though on a site-visit to the Plastic Compounder there was NO evidence of spillages, yet there was micro-plastic from that plant in the waste water treatment plant.

The waste water treatment plants use a system of screens to filter out large particles, however in most instances even their fine screens would not filter out 5mm nurdles, let alone the smaller pieces of plastic. Much of this plastic will go through into the discharge water – straight into the River Ilen and will rapidly travel the 7KM to mouth of the Estuary and into the Marine Environment there.

These deposited volatile organic compounds and particulate, heavy metals, nurdles and their associated persistent organic pollutants will enter the Ilen Estuary and the protected areas of Roaring Water Bay and the islands; on which we depend for :

• Mussel and Oyster farming
• Crayfish and Crabbing
• Food tourism
• Eco tourism

And on which we depend as a beautiful diverse and restful area to live in and to visit.

Too Much Is At Risk

The environment of West Cork is at risk. Too many jobs are at risk. Too much is already invested in this beautiful part of the world to be wrecked by a poor planning decision that brings no money in to Skibbereen and very few jobs.

We remain amazed that no Environmental Impact Statement has been asked for and that the EPA have not stated a requirement for the facility to be licenced or registered. The private arrangement made with Irish Water for discharge of waste appears to negate the need for the company to be regulated for waste water emissions, yet no mention has been made in the planning documents of the Skibbereen Waste Water Treatment Plant’s ability to adequately process and remove the risk of Toxic Release Emissions nor whether it holds the correct licence for industrial emissions from a petrochemical based industry.

The river Ilen is classed as a grade ‘A’ river. It is amongst the cleanest Waters in Ireland. A very recent study involving collecting water samples from 75 sites around the world during the Volvo Ocean Race showed that The West of Ireland is one of only three sites sampled with no trace of microplastic particles.[vi]

West Cork is special; Let’s keep it that way.

[i] https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000426628

[ii] https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000426628

[iii] https://environmentminnesota.org/news/mne/over-14-million-pounds-toxic-chemicals-dumped-minnesota-waterways

[iv] https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=110000426628

[v] http://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0775.htm

[vi] https://afloat.ie/sail/events/volvo-ocean-race/item/40385-west-of-ireland-among-only-three-ocean-sites-free-of-microplastic-in-volvo-ocean-race-data#.W4lKBBGWDZQ.facebook

Welcome to Sustainable Skibbereen

Who are we?

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We are a collaboration of groups based in Skibbereen working to make our town and environment attractive and sustainable .

Members

Our members include Skibbereen Tidy Towns, Chamber of Commerce, Incredible Edible, Apple Town, Herb Ville, Plastic Recycling Project, Wildlife Group, Men’s Sheds, Skibbereen Walks and Zero Waste.  We are a not-for-profit organisation supported financially by Cork County Council, The Gwendoline Harold Barry Trust, Skibbereen Chamber of Commerce and Tidy Towns.  We are working with the Heritage Centre, Schools, Russagh Mill Hostel, Taste of West Cork Food Festival and Co-Action.

Sustainability in Ireland

“Sustainable Development in Ireland sets out the challenges and options to ensure that quality of life and general well-being can be improved and sustained. Translating these goals is simple. It starts with each individual, in the community, taking a first step.  Many people are already contributing to a sustainable future in their day to day lives. Many others only need to make small adjustments to everyday actions to reach the Sustainable Development goals. Education and awareness initiatives can help us meet these Goals”.   Tidy Towns Ireland.

EU Sustainability

“The EU Next Steps for a Sustainable European Future 2030 is committed to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. A life of dignity for all within the planet’s limits that reconciles economic prosperity and efficiency, peaceful societies, social inclusion and environmental responsibility is at the essence of sustainable development.’

next-steps-sustainable-europe-2016

Sustainable Skibbereen Projects

We have started a number of projects around the town to protect and enhance its environment.  We will be launching soon with a website and full information about our projects.

In the meantime please click the link below to our contact form and send us a message and/or ask to be kept informed by joining our emailing list.

Contact Us

You can message us and be kept informed by clicking the link here, and joining our mailing list.  Volunteers, collaborators, suggestions, donations and offers of help all welcome.

CLICK THE LINKS HERE TO

EMAIL US

Facebook /sustainableskibbereen

Twitter  @sustainableskib

Committee:

Chair: Bev Cotton, Vice Chair: Paul Granaghan, Treasurer: Susan Boland.  Address c/o Russagh Mill Hostel, Castletownsend Rd.  email  contact@sustainableskibbereen.com  tel: 089 4352675  Bank TSB Skibbereen.

Calling all residents and business owners in Skibbereen.

We are hosting a WEEK LONG clean up before theSuperValu Ireland national tidy towns judging competition commences next week!!

Every night Monday to Friday this week we will be going out doing one big clean sweep of the town. Meeting at 7 PM behind the Fairfield bar.

Can you come out just one night and help us?

Think how you could improve your own premises:
– Brushing
– weeding the footpath
– cleaning moss from the base of your building
– washing windows
– power hosing your building
– painting your building or gates
– hanging flower baskets or putting out pots of plants

We lose marks every year in the competition due to unkept premises, litter and especially cigarette butts!

Please rally together this week and see what you can do for beautiful Skibbereen! 😊

Let’s win silver this year!!