Blog
Big burners – application is back for Ringaskiddy Incinerator
Ringaskiddy Incinerator Proposal – wrong place, wrong time, wrong solution. There’s more than a whiff of toxic smoke from this project – ( Application to An Bord Pleanála by Indaver Ireland Limited for Planning Permission for a Proposed Incinerator at Ringaskiddy, County Cork An Bord Pleanála Reference PL04.PA0045) – and the arrogance exhibited by both an Bord Pleanala,…
General Election 2016- climate change recommendations
During the current recession Irish concerns for Climate Change have dropped as a priority issue for voters and politicians alike. This is understandable since all news of the Paris Cop21 agreement and the emphasis on more mundane election issues that has now ensued. One might be forgiven for thinking the Climate matters are being dealt…
Zero Waste Manifesto
Circular Economy and Zero Waste – the Manifesto. In October 2015, around 150 politicians, NGOs and business representatives gathered in Poznan for a Zero Waste Seminar to put forward a new plan for to keep resources in the economy, cut waste, and boost repair and reuse. Co-organised by the European Environmental Bureau as part of…
Eurostats expose slow progress to cut municipal waste
The latest EU Municipal Waste generation stats have been released by EuroStat. Ireland does not impress. In Ireland, we are still producing more Municipal waste per head of population than we were before the Celtic tiger boom. We are well above the EU average of 481 kg/capita throwing away on average 586 kg/capita of Municipal…
What are the Benefits of Zero Waste Policies?
Adopting ZERO WASTE principles will: Current business models that could power innovation towards a circular economy encourage ideas around alternative, resource-efficient solutions. These models showcase a range of different implementations of the new circular economy with a Zero Waste philosophy at its core. They range from closed loop recycling to service-based solutions built on material optimisation. …
Where’s the Environment fund spend gone?
Some members of Zero Waste Alliance Ireland recently had the pleasure of attending the Community Reuse Network Ireland (CRNI) 2014 conference in Dublin. Taking place during European Waste Reduction Week, the event promised interesting discussions on the role of reuse and social enterprise in the nascent Irish circular economy. So, snugly installed in the beautiful Farmleigh House in…
Reflex Project – Hope for flexible packaging recycling
Ever wondered what to do with your flexible packaging such as plastic bags, frozen food bags and crisps & confectionery wrappers? The newer confectionery wrappers looks like tinfoil but is really a plastic. So it’s great to see some industry collaboration to address this challenge. The two-year REFLEX project, funded by Innovate UK, and led…
EU Ministers block plastic bag waste progress
Shame of EU Ministers failure to cut plastic bag waste. This is not a good state of affairs to find at EU ministerial level. You see, a group of European Union (EU) Member States – including the UK, Romania, Greece, Croatia and Poland – is blocking a European Parliament proposal to reduce EU plastic bag use…
Scotland carrier bag levy launched
For the first time, from today, a mandatory five-pence bag levy on carrier bags in Scotland is now in place. The new charge includes plastic, paper and biodegradable bags and applies to all retailers, from supermarkets to local stores and takeaways. Back in May, MSPs courageously voted to bring in the new regulations in a…
Scarcity of Resources highlighted in EEF report as a sustainability threat
In this latest report from the UK’s manufacturers’ organisation, the EEF, it claims that the UK, and that implied Ireland and Europe by extension, is very exposed to critical disturbances in Resources and raw materials availability. This will have an adverse impact on manufacturing. Why has this happened ? Well, the global growth of middle-class consumers along with…
Information freedom – Zero Cost Freedom of Information requests
We’re great fans of the words ‘FREE’ and ‘ZERO’ here at the Zero Waste Alliance. We believe public information access should have ZERO cost where it relates to public interest items. So we are cautiously welcoming the Irish Government’s announcement that non-personal FOI (Freedom of Information) fees of €15 are to be scrapped. What price…
Circle of life and re-birth
It’s not often we like to think of death, but it’s facing everyone of the 7+ Billion folks on this planet at some future time. And being Eco aware, Zero Wasters would like to find the best ecological manner to exit this state of being. Of all the options open to us, one environmentally friendly…
