Recycling

Waste Minimisation and recycling are now central to the ethos of Ennis Tidy Towns and a huge focus is now directed toward creating awareness among the general public. Initiaives include the following:

Promotion of Best Practice and Highlighting Facilities

Tidy Towns Tips on Reducing Waste

  • Know what items can go into your recycle bins and recycle all possible items
  • Buy only what you need, use all that you buy
  • Instead of buying commercial household cleaners, use less toxic alternatives
  • Buy in bulk and try to eliminate excess packaging
  • Take re-usable bags to the grocery store
  • Shop at used goods stores
  • Instead of buying seldom used items rent them or borrow from a friend
  • Consider repairing or reupholstering furniture before discarding
  • Use a composter to reduce your organic waste going to landfill
  • Use reusable gift bags rather than paper wrap
  • “Lug a Mug!” - take a travel mug with you to the coffee shop
  • Take a litterless lunch to school or work or eat at restaurants with reusable dishes
  • Use cloth table napkins rather than paper napkins
  • A reusable coffee filter can replace many paper filters
  • Use cloth rags and mops rather than one-time-use disposal products
  • Donate magazines to Senior’s residences or Doctor’s offices
  • Choose quality products that are durable
  • Think about the entire lifecycle of a product - from manufacturing to use to disposal.

Ennis Tidy Towns Committee continue to promote and highlight the waste recycling centres through their leaflet produced in 2008.

Ennis Tidy Towns is committed to lowering as much as possible its own carbon footprint and has taken the following steps. See if you could do the same!

  • We now send a text to everyone when we are calling a meeting.
  • Members are encouraged to walk and cycle to work where possible.
  • We source our paper, ink, and as much material as we can locally, and collect them ourselves, saving harmful emissions from delivery trucks.
  • We are setting up our own web site where all our forms will be available for download saving postage fees, and more emissions from delivery trucks.

Watch out for our new proposed project!

We are sourcing travel mugs with Ennis Tidy Towns logo on, and the phrase
“reduce waste love your mug” .

We will give these out free and work with retailers who give out takeaway cups for tea and coffee to encourage people to bring their own reusable mug cutting down on the amount of waste in the town

School’s Initiative
Second level school Coláiste Muire is the first secondary school in Ennis to achieve the Green Flag. Speaking at the presentation ceremony, green school co-ordinator was hopeful to set a trend for other secondary schools to follow. To help their recycling efforts, the Coláiste used ‘big pig’ composters. They can be used for all types of waste particularly that left over after lunch.

Holy Family Junior and Senior Schools are the latest primary schools in Ennis to be awarded green flag status. All three say they have reduced their waste hugely by using the composter, recycling paper, shredding paper, recycling batteries, using reusable lunchboxes. Pupils have totally changed their outlook on the environment.

Working with Businesses
We work closely with the Regional Waste Management Office and with Clare County Council in promoting reduced Business Waste. Through our association with Ennis Chamber we have circulated information on the latest legislation including the Waste Management Acts, Waste Packaging regulations, WEEE Regulations, Waste Battery Regulations and Waste Presentation By Laws. We also encourage businesses to reduce their waste and we have set up a mentoring service with businesses who have considerable waste efficiencies.

Our top 10 guidelines for businesses are as follows:

  • Prevent and reuse
  • Show clearly the commitment of management
  • Conduct a waste audit - use the tool and tips on the new website www.greenbusiness.ie
  • Ask your staff for their ideas
  • Adopt a green procurement policy
  • Apply low-cost, no cost options first
  • Can goods be purchased or delivered in bulk or in reusable containers?
  • Avoid disposable one-off items
  • Consider reuse - e.g. backdoor packaging on outgoing product
  • Don’t turn materials into waste - empty all containers completely
  • Implement continuous improvement