A tidy little lesson on keeping waste in check

THE average household throws out the weight of a small car every year in waste. And most households also bin €700 worth of food every year, with larger households binning up to €1,000 worth.

These were just two of the figures that environmental awareness consultant Lorraine Power highlighted at a seminar on minimising waste held in Ennis Town Council this week.
The seminar, which also included a discussion on increasing the biodiversity of the area, was held by Ennis Tidy Towns Committee, Ennis Town Council and Clare County Council.
Ms Power said that there is a current campaign called Stop Food Waste, which encourages householders, to buy, store and cook foods in better ways.
“Everyone can play a part in this aspect of waste minimisation. Currently a third of what we throw in our household bins is food waste. There are clever tips on what things can make a different on the campaign website and even small things can make a difference,” she said.
Margaret Neylon of the tidy towns committee said that they organised the event as the Tidy Towns competition now has greater demands in terms of waste management and biodiversity.
“In the past, the main emphasis had been on litter and bringing communities on board in terms of improving their own areas. While we cannot become complacent about that now, we have improved a lot on those issues and now we have to focus on some of these newer aspects, while keeping up high standards on the things we have been doing well so far,” she said.
Adjudications for this year’s tidy town competition will be carried out in mid-summer.
Over 70 people attended the event, including representatives from schools, other tidy towns committees and residents associations.
The seminar also featured biodiversity and wildlife, with a presentation by Billy Flynn, who has over 15 years’ experience in environmental consultancy.