Over 4,000 Householders benefit from MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Roadshow.
More than 4,000 households have benefited from MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Road Show which visited 11 locations across the country in November and December this year.
As part of the roadshow MyWaste.ie’s Food Waste Separation Teams travelled to some of Ireland’s largest towns, met with shoppers, and handed out free household food waste separation kitchen caddy packs with some easy-to-follow advice. The food waste separation packs contained a free kitchen caddy, a starter pack of caddy liners and an information leaflet.
Photographed at the MyWaste.ie Food Separation Road Show were Percy Foster (cre), Minister Ossian Smyth, Anthony Mulleady (Chair), Irish Waste Management Association, Angela Ruttledge (VOICE), Declan Breen (EMR), Sinead Ni Mhainnin, (CUR).
MyWaste.ie, Ireland’s official website for guidance on managing waste, coordinated the roadshow after a Food Waste Recycling Pilot Project published in 2020 demonstrated an increase of between 20 and 25% in food waste tonnage presented, while contamination decreased by more than 56%. In relation to the caddy and liners, as many as 81% of respondents included in this pilot project found the caddy enormously helpful.
Ms Sinead Ni Mhainnin, spokesperson for MyWaste.ie explained that this year’s roadshow gave valuable insight into people’s willingness to segregate their food waste properly once armed with the correct information and equipment. “The use of food waste separation caddy packs, and ongoing correct segregation of food waste has the potential to significantly improve household waste recycling rates. We are confident that food waste segregation will be enhanced due to the circulation of these food waste separation caddy packs,” she said.
Minister of State with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy, Mr Ossian Smyth TD said, “Food waste can create emissions, adding to climate change. But we can limit this harm by separating food from other waste. These food waste caddy packs make it easier for people at home to manage their food waste.” Given the success of the recent roadshow event, plans are now being developed to roll out further food waste separation awareness campaigns in the future. As many as 300,000 packs will be funded by the Government over the next 2 years to support these campaigns.
The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) has also committed to all new household customers signing up to a waste collection service receiving a food waste separation kitchen caddy pack from IWMA affiliated waste collectors from the beginning of 2022.
The Food Waste Separation Roadshow initiative was co-ordinated by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, supported by the IWMA, Environmental Protection Agency, Cré (Composting & Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland), and the local authorities, and funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications. The road show visited Arklow, Limerick, Navan, Clonmel, Birr, Portlaoise, Wexford, Letterkenny, Belturbet, Ballymun and Carrickmacross.
The Food Waste Recycling Pilot Project published in 2020 is available HERE
To find out more information on food waste management and to have all your waste related questions answered log on HERE.
For more information about preventing food waste visit HERE
Liberty Square in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, has suffered some mild damage as a result of current prevailing Storm Barra, with the strong gale and heavy rain, removing one strand of Christmas lighting, west of the junction with Liberty Square and Slievenamon Road, [On the money side]. Council personnel were fast on the scene to remove the electric cabling and lights crossing the roadway.
At least one of the badly staked, newly sown ‘Italian Alder’ (Alnus Cordata), trees on the Square has also bowed its knee to the prevailing south westerly galeforce wind.
Stay indoors and stay safefor the remainder of this evening.
With the relocation of seven (7) new ‘Italian Alder’ (Alnus Cordata), trees, newly sown on Liberty Square, Thurles; these deciduous trees, native to high elevation areas in Southern Italy, are sure to bring a certain continental charm to our town centre.
Four of seven ‘Italian Alder’ trees sown this week on Liberty Square, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Pic. G. Willoughby.
Growing to a height of up to 25m (82ft) and with a spread of some 8m (26ft); same trees are native to southern Italy. Italian Alder is a tall, fast-growing, deciduous tree of conical habit, with the flowers appearing before the leaves. The slender cylindrical male catkins are pendulous, reddish and up to 10 cm (4 inches) long. Pollination is in early spring, before the leaves emerge. The female catkins are ovoid, when mature in autumn, dark green to brown in colour, similar to some conifer cones. The small winged seeds disperse through the winter, leaving the old woody, blackish cones on the tree for up to a year afterwards.
The glossy, mid-green leaves themselves are heart-shaped with very finely serrated edges and stay on the tree as late as December, especially in milder areas. Italian alder is highly wind-resistant and tolerant of very poor soils, as it is able to obtain nitrogen from the air. It will also tolerate high levels of pollution and heavily compacted soils, making it a useful urban tree.
With the occasional uncouth barbarian often visiting our town, usually at night, hopefully these trees will be protected soon by metal tree guards, at least until roots properly take hold.
It’s Market Saturday once again, tomorrow, in Holycross Village, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and the organisers are arranging that all things be somewhat festive this week; in preparation for the forthcoming Christmas holiday season.
Here will be the ideal opportunity to locate Christmas gifts and order, in advance, festive food, e.g. turkeys, hams, fresh fruit, vegetables, home baking, fuel etc, etc.
So do visit the Holycross Village Christmas Market tomorrow, Saturday November 27th; enjoy refreshments at the ‘Ancient Grounds’ coffee dock, a bite of lunch from ‘The Bula Bus’ and soak up what is expected to be a truly festive atmosphere. Be assured you will have a lovely experience at this Christmas market event; same opening from 1:00pm until 3:00pm.
Today, September 29th, of course was Michaelmas Day, the Christian Feast day of Saint Michael and All Angels.
Michaelmas Daisies. Pic. G. Willoughby
One of the few flowers still left blooming at this time of year is the Michaelmas Daisy. (Asters). There is a traditional rhyme about Michaelmas daisies that explains their connection with St. Michael, the Chief of the Archangels
“The Michaelmas Daisy, among dead weeds, Bloom for St Michael’s valorous deeds. And seems the last of flowers that stood, Till the feast of St. Simon and St. Jude.”
Archangel Michael is regarded as the greatest of all the angels and is honoured for defeating Lucifer in the war in heaven. Religious believers always call therefore upon the Archangel St. Michael, when seeking protection. The name ‘Michaelmas’ comes from a shortening of “Michael’s Mass”, rather like ‘Christmas’ is “Christ’s Mass”, or indeed ‘Candlemas’, latter the Mass where traditionally the candles to be used throughout the year within the church and elsewhere would be blessed on. These same blessed candles serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ. The Gospel according to St. John Chapter 8. Verse 12. states, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Michaelmas Day falls near the Autumn Equinox, (September 22nd), and is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of Autumn and the shortening of our days. Today, here in Ireland, was also considered a “gale day” when rents became due, under English rule.
Interestingly in folklore, Lucifer, when defeated by St. Michael, was said to have landed on earth in a briar patch. He became so annoyed, he pissed on their fruit, the humble blackberry; cursing them to be always inedible after September 28th of any future year.
Warning, if you made a batch of apple and blackberry jam today, it may not pass testing by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, (FSAI).
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