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Waste Now
The Lowdown On Waste
Plastic is suffocating our oceans.
In 2017, there was "more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic, with a combined mass of more than 250,000 tons, are floating in our oceans."
- Toothcrush
Thing you didn't know contained plastic
Cigarette butts are the most commonly polluted plastic. About 4.5 trillion individual butts are polluting our global environment.
- Earthday
Cash for Trash - New York
The New York State Returnable Container Act, also known as the "Bottle Bill", has been a tremendous success.
Since its passage, the Bottle Bill has achieved significant impacts to create a cleaner and healthier New York.
The Bottle Bill reduces roadside container litter by 70 percent and in 2016 helped to recycle 5.1 billion plastic, glass and aluminium beverage containers totalling more than 246,000 tons; at no cost to local governments.
Waste What Can We Do
What Can We Do?
Refuse
Refuse Plastics - especially single use
About 4 Trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. Only 1% are returned for recycling.
Stop using cling-film. Washable containers work perfectly (and look nicer in your fridge!)
Reduce
Reduce purchases of difficult to recycle items.
Reduce the amount you purchase and only purchase what is necessary - there is no need to buy in excess of what you need.
Repair
Mend shoes and clothing where possible.
Sell, swap or donate what you don't use need any more.
Give away items you no longer want or need on sites such as FreeCycle Ireland.
Reuse
Use reusable items wherever you can.
Cotton/sustainable bamboo cloths in the kitchen are a great alternative to kitchen paper. Save yourself the money, while saving trees.
Rot
Compost food scraps.
Food waste that goes into landfill produces methane as it decomposes in a low/no oxygen environment.
Try start your own composting at home or use your local composting service.
Recycle
Where you cant do any of the above, ensure you recycle all recyclable materials.
It is important to ensure you recycle wisely so as to not contaminate other recyclable materials.
Included in An Taisce Clean-up Kit: bags, pairs of gloves and some hi-viz vests
Waste - Comm Clean
Food Waste
Food waste that goes into landfill doesn't decompose as usual.
A head of lettuce can take up to 25 years to decompose in landfill.
Don't put your food waste in your general waste bin, please!
Resources We Recommend
WASTE PACKAGING STATISTICS FOR IRELAND
EPA Waste Data Release, 30 July 2020
6 Ways You Can Save the Ocean from Home - Ocean Conservancy
Your A to Z of all things waste - MyWaste
Rotten || This docuseries travels deep into the heart of the food supply chain to reveal unsavory truths and expose hidden forces that shape what we eat. - Netflix
In The News
Jamaica: Plastics ban creates new opportunities
Photograph: UNEP
UN Environment Program, Monday January 25th 2021
"Every September, on International Coastal Cleanup Day in Jamaica, plastic is the most collected material. In 2019, the top 10 items collected were all single-use plastic and polystyrene (foam) waste, anything from plastic bottles to food wrappers.
More than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans globally, each year, adversely impacting ecosystems, biodiversity and potentially human health."
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