Think green and be conscious of your cup says Ennis mayor

WITH workers heading back to the office and schools fully open the Mayor of Ennis is urging people to think green and get involved with the ‘Conscious Cup Campaign’.

There are six businesses in the Ennis area taking part in the initiative which encourages people to bring their own cups to cafes.

Councillor Ann Norton, speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, particularly encouraged schools to get behind the scheme and help “do our bit for the environment” as well as people going back into the workplace as Covid restrictions lift.

“I am encouraging people to be conscious of the environment and be aware when they are drinking not to be using a number of different cups.”

She added that schools can do their bit by highlighting the effect of single use cups that aren’t recycled on the environment. She stated that a lot of work was carried out in promoting the scheme pre-Covid adding “it would be a pity that this would not be encouraged now”.

“We need to remind people of the importance of thinking of the environment and that we should do what we can to help and support a greener country.”

She proposed the Ennis Municipal District to write to all of the schools to be conscious of the Conscious Cup Campaign.

Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy commented that the Conscious Cup Campaign is a “great idea and more and more businesses are doing this.”

Karen Foley, Environmental Awareness Officer, responded, “Single use takeaway packaging is a huge source of littering across the county – takeaway tea/coffee cups, ice-cream cups, aluminium cans, fizzy drink plastic bottles, sandwich/roll wrappings of all types etc.

“The conscious cup campaign has a specific focus on single use coffee/tea cups and “encourage cafes to reward conscious consumers for carrying their own cup through incentives and are delighted to promote and map those Conscious Cafes”.

There appears to be six businesses participating in the Ennis MD area – Cafe map (consciouscup.ie).

“This is a campaign that is supported and promoted through the Greener Clare waste prevention programme. Businesses, providing takeaway tea/coffee cups, are encouraged to participate and Tidy Towns groups can also play leading role by encouraging local business participation.

“In terms of addressing single use with students in primary and secondary level schools the preferable route is to encourage and support active participation in the An Taisce Green Schools programme.

“If the schools are actively involved, they address single use (waste prevention) as part of the programme both in the school and wider community. For more information on the Green Schools programme visit: About – Green-Schools (greenschoolsireland.org).”