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Archive for Zero Waste

Waste Not, Want Not

Posted by Sekeeta Crowley 
· July 9, 2020 

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

Categories :
Skibbereen Recycling

Why Recycle when you can Reduce?

Posted by Sekeeta Crowley 
· March 5, 2020 

The Tipping Point

With so much in the news about the likelihood of reaching a tipping point for climate a change and biodiversity, it struck me that we are facing a different tipping point, this one in a more postive sense.

Led by Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough globally and Saoi O’Connor and Alicia O’Sullivan locally, people are waking up to the global catastrophe facing us and although some groups still haven’t ‘got’ it and governments, it seems, are still keen to greenwash actions, the general public have a growing awareness of what they can do on a smaller scale. All these smaller actions add up to a positive tipping point. We’ve not reached it yet, but it is approaching!

Look at the growing number of organisations…Extinction Rebellion, the Zero waste and Rewilding movement as some examples which if added on to the longer established organisations such as WWF, Friends of the Earth, Geenpeace show the spread of DIY action on a more local scale. There is a huge amount of scientific data, far more available in the public domain and now reported on more frequently, clearly showing the state we are in, so there is no excuse for non action. UCC have been getting awards for being a green university, and have been organising so many environmental events, it is a huge inspiration.

The Tidy Towns Movement has now gone way beyond begonias and litter picking. In our own community in Skibbereen and Baltimore Tidy Towns are actively involved in projects aimed at improving biodiversity. Look out for the public training sessions. Schools are joining the plastic free4schools, Rory Jackson has been leading transition year groups to categorise the waste they pick up on their beach forays. Others quietly pick rubbish off the streets and beaches.

Paula Marten has her Paula’s Positive Tips stand to take places to help people reduce their plastic use. Supermarkets are now selling some items which help the customer achieve this. There is Maggy’s, Soap box and others on the market, and Twig refill station in Clonakilty doing the same. So much is happening. Why not send us anything that has inspired you to action, or something you are doing already, which is helping us along the road to reach the positive tipping point?

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Cycle Sense stakeholder Meeting 3rd December

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· December 2, 2019 

Cycle Sense, a social enterprise focused on the promotion of cycling as a sustainable form of transportation and conducting cycle safety training for schools and organisations, is looking to initiate upcycling and waste reduction projects in Skibbereen.

As the climate crisis rages on, we feel it is important to take actions locally here in Skibbereen to help combat the climate challenge head on. Projects that focus on upcycling and waste prevention are especially impactful, as they address our current system of unsustainable consumption. They can also have significant economic and environmental benefits for our local community, as they reduce the amount of waste produced and collected in Skibbereen and can provide jobs & training opportunities and access to affordable, environmentally-friendly goods for our friends and neighbours.

Meeting

A meeting for potential stakeholders will take place in Skibbereen from 12.00 til 3.00pm on 3 December, 2019 at the Community & Family Resource Centre, North Street, Skibbereen, to discuss these opportunities.

We have partnered with the Rediscovery Centre, Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy, to assist us in studying the feasibility and implementation of these projects. As part of this initial phase, we are conducting an information and exploration session with local stakeholders to look at opportunities, assess local needs and map out current & potential activities in Skibbereen.

Cycle Sense

cyclesense@gmail.com

 

 

 

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3 bays skibbereen community orchard

A 3-bay composting system for the Community Orchard

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· November 20, 2019 

The volunteers at the community orchard have been busy building a 3-bay composting system for the gardens there. This system handles a lot of garden waste and is a good way to produce your own compost. Fresh cuttings and garden waste are added to the first bay and as they rot down they are turned and moved into the next bay until finally the rotted compost is ready in the last bay for use in the garden.

The community orchard plans to host a composting workshop over the winter at the orchard so keep an eye out for details.

3 bays skibbereen community orchard

3 bay composting at Skibbereen community orchard

 

Composting is good- info here from One Green Planet

1. Composting reduces landfill waste and incineration, and therefore emissions.

Modern waste management methods are environmental tragedies. Waste lies stagnant in landfill sites where the vital oxygen that is needed to facilitate the decaying process cannot reach it. Landfill material also releases greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change: methane gas escapes during the building process. Incineration leaves some toxic ash waste, and the burning process releases a vast amount of carbon dioxide into our precious atmosphere.

2. Composting reduces dependence on fossil fuels.

Most people buy compost for their own potting needs, however in the words of expert composter John Cossham, ‘Home compost is always superior.’ Commercial methods of composting require the use of oil-reliant machinery and a sped-up method of oxidising organic matter at a high heat to get it to break down quickly. No fungal decomposition is involved in this process. Through the slower and more traditional method of composting at home, there is more assurance that everything has been well-broken down by the fungi and bacteria.

3. Composting is good for the land.

Everything you compost at home becomes a thriving habitat and nutritious fodder for an entire population of bacteria, bugs, worms, fungi and creepy crawlies, and what they leave behind becomes nourishing fodder for you plants. The amount of methane emitted through a well-managed compost heap at home? ZERO.

Composting is nature’s way of recycling, found in ancient woodlands and other natural soils across the world. It uses a natural process that still occurs worldwide to produce rich degraded organic matter, also known as humus. This humus provides channels for air and moisture to get into the soil and other gases to get out, eg respiration gases from fungi and insects. Soils with organic matter in them allow mycorrhiza fungi to form a network between different plants in order to facilitate nutrient exchange, and perhaps even communication exchange — but that’s another topic altogether.

Composting is the active breakdown of foods and other materials through an organic process. The ‘waste’ matter becomes as rich as the nutrients you put into it, and compost made from a variety of ‘waste’ materials usually harbours vital micronutrients. You can test this theory by conducting the following experiment. Pot one plant into garden soil and another plant into garden soil mixed with compost. The outcome? The plant in the partial-compost will grow visibly larger than the purely soil-based one.

4. Composting Helps You to Embrace the Natural Cycle of Life and Decay.

Environmentalism is at times heavily focused on the idea of ‘waste,’ because it is such a key issue to the health of the planet. However, ‘waste’ is a human concept and also a human problem. In nature there is no waste, as every living thing serves a greater purpose than its own lifespan, and contributes to the growth of something else. It’s easy to forget this crucial fact, but when you delve into composting your own ‘waste’ you learn to appreciate the cycle of life which involves decay and new growth in equal measure, and you come to understand that everything has a place in the world.

5. You Can Compost Anything that has Lived or Grown Recently

San Francisco is a city that aims for its citizens to live within their means when it comes to ‘waste’ production. In addition to its high recycling rates, the city can also fine citizens found guilty of throwing food in the rubbish bin. This ordinance was introduced with the understanding that landfill-bound waste could be reduced by up to thirty per cent through instigating composting. However, this figure is dependent on the wide-spread idea – and myth – that many types of waste, including certain types of food, cannot be composted, which is simply not true. In fact, you can compost anything that has lived or grown recently. You can compost anything that hadn’t fossilised, as well as types of latex rubber such as marigold gloves, hot water bottles, and latex condoms. There is endless and conflicting advice regarding which materials should not be composted, but evidence behind the suggested reasons is only theory-based, unclear, or murky at best. Cooked foods are said to attract rats, however this can be avoided by digging the compost bin into the ground, ensuring that it has a well-fitted lid, and- if rats really are a problem- burying food waste under a thin layer of the compost that is already in the bin. Many items of decaying food apparently smell bad when they decay, however this can also be remedied, as compost that smells requires more dry materials, e.g. paper, card or twigs.

Composting requires very little work and resources and it has a huge positive impact on the environment. It creates excellent new resources, and in my experience it can encourage even the most stubborn anti-green individual to take part in making a difference. And that’s why it’s the greenest thing you can do for our planet.

Categories :

Paula Demonstrates Plastic Free Shopping

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· November 19, 2019 

Paula from Baltimore Zero Waste demonstrates how to reduce plastic packaging at home by choosing what you buy, coming prepared, and using some handy tips.  Watch the video taken at the stall sponsored by Fields of Skibbereen.   Learn about plastic reduction on everyday items sush as coffee cups, toothbrushes, water filters, making your own toothpaste, make up ranges and paper lunch bags! Watch out for the stall again at Fields.

Bea Johnson writes Think waste-free living is depriving, time consuming, costly, or simply reserved for hermits living in the boondocks? Think again! With a blog turned bestselling book and talks throughout the world, my family and I have debunked those misconceptions and inspired a global movement. Join us and hundreds of thousands of others in enjoying a richer life based on experiences instead of stuff!


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Climate Action & Renewable Energy for Skibbereen

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· November 14, 2019 

Developing Skibbereen as a Model for Climate Action & Renewable energy

West Cork Hotel Skibbereen   Wed 20th November  7.30pm

An information session for business and owners and community interests.
Can Skibbereen become a centre of excellence for action on climate change and renewable energy?
How business owners and community interests can collaborate on the installation of renewable energy technology, including the installation solar PV array on their roof-tops.
The building owners and occupiers will benefit from lower energy costs and make a substantial contribution to reducing the carbon foot-print of the town by reducing their CO2 emissions.

About the Event

You are invited to an information session for business and owners and community interests to discuss how Skibbereen can become a centre of excellence for action on climate change and renewable energy. The event will take place in the West Cork Hotel on Wednesday 20th November commencing at 7.30pm business owners and community interests can
collaborate on the uptake of energy efficiency measures and the installation of renewable energy technology, including the installation solar PV array on their roof-tops.

Building owners and occupiers will benefit from lower energy costs and make a substantial contribution to reducing the carbon foot-print of the town by reducing their COj emissions.
While the project will have clear benefits for the businesses, households and community interests in reducing costs it will demonstrate that business and the local community in Skibbereen is committed to playing its part in meeting national climate change and renewable energy targets.

Financial supports are available through grant funding through from SEAI including the Sustainable Energy Communities Programme (SEC) and the Better Energy Communities Programme (BEC) and the event will provide information on the operation of these programmes and how to participate.

Confirm your attendance

If you wish to attend the event please confirm with Jim O’Donnell:
Mobile: 086 243 3126

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Skibbereen Plastic Awareness Day 21/9

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· September 14, 2019 

21st September 2019 ABBEYSTREWRY HALL 10am til 4pm
Free event

11.am REDUCING PLASTIC IN THE HOME

Olive Finn from Twig Refill store in Clonakilty, Allison Roberts from Clonakilty Chocolate will give a talk to give us some ideas and help us all play our part in reducing plastic,

lpm. PLASTIC AND THE SEA

Rory Jackson will show a video and talk about his project with Transition year students in Skibbereen Community School.

12.00pm GARDENING WITHOUT PLASTIC

Experts discuss how to reduce plastic in the garden.

2.30 -3.30pm DISCUSSION GROUP FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AND INTERESTED PARTIES

Looking at challenges to businesses in trying to reduce the plastics they use. Budding entrepreneurs are especially welcome to pick up ideas.

*

DISPLAYS
Fionn Ferreiras’ Science project • NS School projects •
Twig from Clonakilty • Martha Cashman ceramics • For Goodness Sake •
Maggie’s refill station • Soapbox • Eco-congregations • Paula Marten • SOS
Fiona Vincent • Skibbereen Tidy Towns • Recycling info • and many more

 

Press release

On Saturday 21st September an event is booked in Abbeystrewry Hall Skibbereen (10am to 4pm) to help us learn a bit more about the most topical material at the moment for all the wrong reasons- Plastic.
A day of information, talks and discussion is planned, for which there is NO CHARGE: We are delighted that the Rev. John Ardis from Abbeystrewry Union of (Cof I) churches is so keen for us to use the Hall for this event.
Stalls: from schools (Rath NS, St Patrick’s NS, Skibbereen Community School and hopefully others) and local artists (Sonia Caldwell Paula Marten (‘feelgood positive changes’), Martha Cashman), Skibbereen Tidy Towns, Eco Congregations. We will have Fionn Ferrera’s award winning Science Project to look at, (although he can’t come himself), Maggie from the market’s refill station and others…..young climate activist Saoi O’ Connor may be dropping in too.
Talks and Discussions: on the problems and solutions of plastics in the home and garden with local business people ( Olive from Twigg, Alison Roberts who is well into reducing plastic use, Rory Jackson on his work with the transition year students clearing beaches, Deelish and other nursery people… I’m trying to get a CCC representative down to talk about recycling and to clarify what goes in which bin. If I can get enough help to do teas we will do that too!

We hope everyone who comes will find that cutting the use especially of the problematic single use plastics is possible with some thought and a little extra effort, with no adverse effect on quality of life! One small action taken by a lot of people morphs into a significant improvement to the health of the those living in third world countries trying to deal with the West’s so called recycling, our oceans and all that live there, fish stocks and the world and our own local environment.

So it’s a busy and exciting day and we’d like as many people as possible to come and join us.

If you would like to get involved with either event it is not too late, please get on touch with Sekeeta 0871516372 or zerowasteskibbereen@gmail.com. ‘Involved’ means anything from putting up a poster for us, showcasing what you do in your shop or business to try and reduce waste with a focus on ( single use) plastics, having a stand at the event, joining in the discussions, attending the events  and bringing your friends or helping the night before setting up or on the day, so there are plenty of options!

 

Categories :

Plastics Awareness Events in Skibbereen 12/9 & 21/9

Posted by Sustainable Skibbereen 
· September 3, 2019 

We are delighted to announce we have two events on Plastics Awareness coming up this month (September). These are the brainchildren of Kilcoe artist Sonia Caldwell. The first is designed to get people chatting over a cup of tea..what’s not to like? The second is a Plastics Awareness Day with lots to look at and talks to make you think and a chance to discuss the feasibility and options for reducing plastic use.

So to the first event:

As part of the Taste of West Cork Festival on Thursday 12th from 4pm to 6pm in the Riverside Cafe. This is entitled ‘Dear Granny what did we ever do without plastic’. It costs €5 for tea and scones and although it is based on the idea of a letter, it invites older people to come and talk with younger ones about times before plastic became mainstream.

“We would like to know all about grocery shopping in the good old days – before everything was wrapped in plastic! Look back at a time gone by, where reusing and repurposing was a way of life. We would like to hear the wonderful stories of the shops back then, the goods that were for sale (and how they were packaged) and the shop keepers who were wonderful characters in the social fabric of village and town life and look at new ways to marry the old ways with modern technology and enterprise to bring about a new plastic free future. In the spirit of the Folklore Commission of the 1930‘s we are inviting people to send a letter or note from an elderly relative or recording an anecdote or memory about how shopping for food was done in the old days, how we used to shop for food and what has changed in the type of food now purchased. Or if you are that elderly relative then send it yourself(!). Letters can be posted to Kilcoe Studios, Kilcoe, Skibbereen, Co Cork or e-mailed to zerowasteskibb@gmail.com before the 10th September”, but we would be more delighted if you could come with a younger or older person and join the chat!

Any letters and stories from the ‘Dear Granny’ session will then be exhibited during the Plastics Awareness Day:

Then  on Saturday 21st September an event is booked in Abbeystrewry Hall Skibbereen (10am to 4pm) to help us learn a bit more about the most topical material at the moment for all the wrong reasons- Plastic.
A day of information, talks and discussion is planned, for which there is NO CHARGE: We are delighted that the Rev. John Ardis from Abbeystrewry Union of (Cof I) churches is so keen for us to use the Hall for this event.
Stalls: from schools (Rath NS, St Patrick’s NS, Skibbereen Community School and hopefully others) and local artists (Sonia Caldwell Paula Marten (‘feelgood positive changes’), Martha Cashman), Skibbereen Tidy Towns, Eco Congregations. We will have Fionn Ferrera’s award winning Science Project to look at, (although he can’t come himself), Maggie from the market’s refill station and others…..young climate activist Saoi O’ Connor may be dropping in too.
Talks and Discussions: on the problems and solutions of plastics in the home and garden with local business people ( Olive from Twigg, Alison Roberts who is well into reducing plastic use, Rory Jackson on his work with the transition year students clearing beaches, Deelish and other nursery people… I’m trying to get a CCC representative down to talk about recycling and to clarify what goes in which bin. If I can get enough help to do teas we will do that too!

We hope everyone who comes will find that cutting the use especially of the problematic single use plastics is possible with some thought and a little extra effort, with no adverse effect on quality of life! One small action taken by a lot of people morphs into a significant improvement to the health of the those living in third world countries trying to deal with the West’s so called recycling, our oceans and all that live there, fish stocks and the world and our own local environment.

So it’s a busy and exciting day and we’d like as many people as possible to come and join us.

If you would like to get involved with either event it is not too late, please get on touch with Sekeeta 0871516372 or zerowasteskibbereen@gmail.com. ‘Involved’ means anything from putting up a poster for us, showcasing what you do in your shop or business to try and reduce waste with a focus on ( single use) plastics, having a stand at the event, joining in the discussions, attending the events  and bringing your friends or helping the night before setting up or on the day, so there are plenty of options!

Categories :

Beginning the Zero Waste Journey: Appreciate what we have already

Posted by Sekeeta Crowley 
· March 11, 2019 

‘Waste not want not’ The old saying in times past where things were less plentiful still applies, but slightly updated with David Attenborough’s stamp of authority, and I quote:

“The one thing we all have to do in a way which covers every aspect of our life is simply not to waste. Don’t waste plastic. Don’t waste food. Don’t waste power. Live within our means without inflicting damage on the planet”

This call to action is about more than throwing less in the bin. It is about not wasting our precious and limited resources. If we take this on it may be a  worthwhile exercise to think more about our ‘need’. I not talking about austerity or going back to eating cabbage all week , or wearing the same well-darned jumper for two years.. But in this consumer age we are surrounded by ’stuff’ in shopping centres and on the internet which heavy advertising on all sides encourages us to buy; often it so poorly made it just doesn’t last. Or we see something else new and shiny that takes our eye; isn’t it SO hard to resist?… ‘but do I actually need a kettle which matches my toaster? (but I want a red one!). Do I have enough shoes already (nooo!)? Can what I have be repaired effectively? (ok… all I really need is a new button, but I don’t know how to sew it on!)

There is an interesting BBC video clip (about 5 mins). https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/mind-control?vpid=p06xj82k on shopping.. the ‘Didero effect’. No, I’d not heard of it either, but I bet marketing students have… First described in 1769, it is still used today to encourage us to buy stuff we didn’t know we ‘needed’!!

We are being taken in not just by advertising, but world reports that tell us buying is good for the economy, economic growth is good, and in times of low growth rates, asking what industry or governments are going to do about it? It doesn’t take a degree in economics or anything else, to work out that unless resources are infinite, growth cannot continue forever.

Buying only what we need sounds kind of dull, but it depends on your outlook, and just look at the advantages for the planet:

Less demand means ultimately less production, so

Less pressure on world resources

Less energy used in production and transport, so less CO2 emitted.

Less packaging going to waste

…and to you:

Fun and satisfying time spent repairing/ upcycling/reinventing what you have to give it a new look, discovering your new creative self!

Less money spent on trivia and more to spend on a better, nicer, more long-lasting item, or better quality (organically produced?) food.

Maybe then ‘buying something new’ becomes more of a considered, satisfying and enjoyable activity.

So… back to the first call of action.

There is a short film on the website:

Great Zero Waste Info Film Shared by our Zero waste trainer Rachel Dempsey here is a “Great video to learn the basics on the 5 R’s of Zero Waste”  As the first review says, “Really good straightforward guide that manages to give some deeper info while still being a quick, accessible watch. Great.”

The film was apparently inspired by Bea Johnson who managed to reduce her entire years waste to the contents of a jar. Now that IS ambitious.

She shows an inverted triangle ( have a look), the first layer is REFUSE

So the first step is to REFUSE stuff we don’t need, and:

Appreciate and use what we have already.

To think about:

First: to avoid picking up extra packaging waste, remember your shopping bags, add the veg bags and take along leak-proof clip-lid boxes. Ask at your butcher/ fishmonger/ deli-counter to put your meat etc into the boxes and stick the price label on the top. It is then already labelled to put straight in the freezer if needed! However this does take extra organisation. It took me WEEKS to reliably remember the boxes, but in the end I found it works if as soon as I have used the contents, I wash them out and put them straight into the shopping bags in the car along with the veg and bread bags. Getting my esteemed ‘other half’ to take them with him is the next aim!

If you have time, head for the market for unwrapped fruit and veg or seek out one of those growing number of shops which provide unpackaged goods (Twig in Clonakilty). However there is no point in driving miles especially to do that, as you are then wasting fuel!!

Second: single-use plastic is considered bad, BUT… it needn’t be single use if you find another purpose for it, so don’t throw it away… yet!

There is nothing to stop you taking the plastic bags from bread or fruit from a previous trip to hold loose produce on your next shop (DO felt tip out the bar code.. it can cause problems at the checkout..)

Or you can use them for wrapping sandwiches or for bits and pieces in the fridge. You will have to recycle them eventually, but you have extended their use and avoided collecting more bags from the supermarket to throw away, or the use of other wrappings.

Try saving some of those unavoidable little plastic tubs from the cream cheese/ margarine/hummus to store small quantities of left-over food in the fridge, instead of putting cling film over half an onion or a piece of cheese. It has saved you using the cling film (which you would throw away afterwards) or buying a little plastic box for the same purpose.

The best bit is none of this has cost anything extra in terms of money or time, but you have already avoided adding to your waste / recycle bin!

Third: Youtube is a wonderful resource for ideas to revamp clothes or learn how to do repairs. Ask your nan/ granddad, they will surely be delighted to offer advice, or if you’re really lucky, they may offer to do it for you (don’t tell them I said that!)

For the really keen, with a bit of imagination or a scout around the internet, you will find loads other stuff to do with unwanted packaging.

So if you manage just one of these measures, you are all a little further down the road towards Zero Waste. Please share know what works for you.. and what doesn’t.  If you sign up for the blog, I would be delighted if you would comment and suggest where we head to next!

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Zero Waste Skibbereen… is this realistic?

Posted by Sekeeta Crowley 
· February 28, 2019 

There is now an organisation with a Facebook page called Zero Waste Skibbereen. The name says it all, but is it seriously achievable?  Unless you have been hiding under a rock for a good while, you will know as well as anyone that this poor planet is suffering, possibly terminally, from misuse by the human race. 

If we do nothing then the chances are that the word ’possibly’ will be removed from the sentence. It does not matter where we live, our practices are killing the wildlife, wrecking the atmosphere, the oceans, forests and countryside and the ecology upon which we ultimately depend. We can wring our hands in despair, blaming everything on ‘the system’ and demand that ‘they’ do something about it, or (against all current scientific thinking) insist all this has nothing to do with us, and carry on as normal, convinced that there is no point in changing anything as ‘it’ is going to happen anyway.

zero waste skibbereen

Zero waste.. the start

Alternatively, and this is why I am writing this blog (!), we can look around and see what we can do ourselves and just get on with it! Outside the areas of the world that are so wracked with war and famine where pure survival saps all energy, there is a stirring in the grassroots of people with a huge dissatisfaction with their own government’s lack of will and/or lack of urgency in dealing with the problems in hand and who are taking on these challenges themselves. In amongst the despairing articles in the media, a scroll through Facebook will bring to light the positive efforts by people who clear their beaches of rubbish, reduce their use of plastic, upcycle otherwise unwanted items and tend their gardens in a way which encourages wildlife and take steps to reduce their energy use.

It is quite uplifting, knowing there are so many people around with similar views and we can all actually DO something to mitigate the situation.

Organisations abound with postings to help you live more lightly on the Earth, some useful and  others with ideas that just won’t suit your lifestyle, sometimes making the task seem insurmountable, even if you are really keen to take some positive action. Others are just plain kooky. How can you steer a path through all this without wasting days staring at a small screen or giving up entirely and heading back under that rock with a book and a cup of cocoa?

Enter Zero Waste Skibbereen.

Zero Waste bin… our aim!

It is part of the Sustainable Skibbereen platform. Our first aim is to fish out the more useful hints and guides offered online to help people to move into a more sustainable lifestyle and reduce our footprint on this planet; to use less and to waste less.  We would like to provide practical tips that will work here where we live and share the positive experiences of doing this. How the group moves forward depends on its members and their input. It may be possible to introduce meet ups and workshops. But first, why not ‘like’ the page and if you have ideas and hints or find useful websites and helpful links please do post them. If you have a suggestion, a story, or a blog of your own, let’s share it. And of course sign up for the blog updates

Aiming for zero waste is a journey. It starts here!

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