October is Reuse Month!
While the overall amount of waste produced in Ireland has increased over time, there has also been an increase in recognition of the economic and social potential of waste as a resource. National Reuse Month 2018 is aimed at highlighting this potential to individuals, families, communities, local and big businesses, schools and social enterprises. Reuse Month is part of a nationwide initiative to change attitudes towards old and disused objects, while encouraging people to repurpose, donate, sell or repair items and keep them out of landfill sites.
The principle behind Reuse Month is to promote reuse, repair and upcycling of products, in order to decrease the amount of materials going to landfill and extend the life of products before they are recycled.
Both the concept of reuse and practical examples of reuse will be promoted in Kildare throughout Reuse Month using a variety of activities and events. Kildare County Council and the Eastern-Regional Waste Management Office have organised a series of events to give practical examples of this.
Stop Food Waste Challenges in Kildare
What’s it all about?
We all waste food. It can’t be helped - plans change, we prepare too much, leftovers go off in thefridge, we forget about the frozen foods in the bottom of the freezer, etc. Stop Food Waste arechallenging Irish householders to set themselves a target to reduce their food waste by at least 1/4.The challenge involves four meetings and will cover the following:
- Food Waste Awareness
- Proper Planning
- Smart Shopping
- Food Storage
- Serving and Reusing Food
- Home Composting
Course Presented by: Nuala Madigan, M.Ed. from the Stop Food Waste Initiative
Three courses being run:
Monasterevin
When: Monday Evenings 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd October
Time: 8-9pm
Venue: Mercy Convent, Drogheda Street (beside parish centre)
Contact : Teresa on 086-8828949
Rathangan
When: Thursday Evenings 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th October
Time: 6-7pm
Venue: Rathangan Community Library
Contact :Rathangan Community Library - rathanganlib@kildarecoco.ie or Rathangan Tidy Towns - rathangan.tidy.towns@gmail.com
Carbury
When: Wednesday Evenings 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st October
Time: 8-9pm
Venue: Old School House, Carbury Village
Contact : joanpoterton@gmail.com
Organised by: Carbury, Monasterevin and RathanganTidy Towns groups in partnership with the StopFood Waste Team of the EPA and Kildare County Council
In addition, a standalone Food Waste Talk will be held in Kildare Town Library, Tuesday 16th october at 11am. No booking required. Talk given by Deirdre Lane & Georgina Kemmy. Supported by Kildare County Council.
Did you know that reusing items is a more environmentally-friendly way of dealing with waste than recycling! This is because it takes no resources to reuse something (other than maybe bringing the item to somebody) whereas recycling usually means transporting the item as well as usually transforming it into something else.- We can use the example of a simple object like a glass jam jar. To reuse it, we might simply rinse it out and use it for storing nuts and bolts or similar. To recycle it, we must bring it to the bottle bank (possibly by car). It is then removed (by large truck), brought to a depot, then crushed (using large machinery), then brought to recycling plant (truck), melted down into new jar (large furnace), transported to jam factory (truck), filled with jam then transported to shop (truck) and finally purchased by you and brought home!
Of course, this is still better than making new glass from raw materials- this uses ten times as much energy as melting down and recycling old glass. But the point is made that reusing items is a good idea. There are a number of websites for disposing of items for reuse:
www.freetradeireland.ie
www.jumbletown.ie
www.freebiesireland.com
www.freecycle.org/group/IE/Ireland
The sites are normally divided into categories like furniture, electrical equipment, garden equipment and so forth- there is even a 'wanted' section if you are looking for something in particular. You can also search some of them by area so you don't have to drive to Cork to collect a couple of patio slabs! The only rule with these websites is that everything must be offered for free- you simply contact the person getting rid of the item and organise with them to collect the items. It couldn't be easier and these websites are becoming extremely popular. Of course, you can also choose to sell whatever it you do not need in any of the small ad/classified papers or websites.
Some items can be repaired first of course- nobody throws away their car because the battery is flat! There are lots of other items that should be fixed before replacing them- shoes can be re-soled and heeled, clothes can be altered and repaired and some electrical items can be fixed (always keep the receipts and warranties for these items as you frequently do not have to pay anything in the event of a fault).
Charity shops
Please note: charity shops are always looking for good quality clothes, books, toys and household items- items that can be readily sold to help support the charity. They are not looking for clothes in poor condition, broken toys or household items. Poor quality clothes should be left in recycling banks. The other items are not really reusable and should be disposed of in the refuse bin.
The following list is what could be found from a directory and internet search. If you are aware of other charity shops dealing in secondhand goods or have further contact details for the one below, please contact the environment section at environ@kildarecoco.ie
TownCharityAddressTel.AthySVP2 William St.059 8632132 Mrs. Quinns31 Duke St.087 1394320CelbridgeMrs. QuinnsLr. Main St.087 0579479 St. RaphaelsMain St.01 6275416ClaneMrs. QuinnsMain St.087 1394378KilcockSt Brigid' HospiceCourtown Road SVPOpp. St. Josephs Hall Jack and JillSite of old post office KilcullenSVPMain St.045 480785Kildare townMrs. QuinnsUnit T3, Nugent St. Station Road087 3194325 SVP 045 520200MaynoothMrs. QuinnsAchol House, The Square087 7804982 SVPGreenfield Shopping Centre01 6289643NaasMrs. QuinnsCorbans Lane087 1394324 Jack and Jill (Jay Jays)Unit 1 Fairgreen087 1632852NewbridgeMrs. QuinnsEyre St.087 1394323 Sue RyderGeorges St.045 433358