16 November 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork City Council’s Waste Awareness Week takes place next week (November 16th – 20th). The five-day virtual event organised by Cork City Council, in association with the Southern Regional Waste Management Planning Office, will provide information and tips on waste reduction, food waste prevention, greener cleaning, recycling and reuse.
The event will highlight the role of the city’s recycling facilities, inform citizens on what they can do to correctly dispose of their waste and will provide up-to-date information on reusing, reducing and recycling.
Cork City Council’s Director of Community, Culture and Placemaking, Adrienne Rodgers, explained that Cork City Council’s Waste Awareness Week is not just about highlighting what householders are doing to minimise their waste, but also to outline areas for improvement and offer advice on how best to reduce our environmental footprint. “I am confident that there is a willingness among the community to reduce our impact on the environment, and Cork City County Council is eager to provide information and supports as we work together to manage our waste. Cork City Council is delighted to host Waste Awareness Week, with the support of the Southern Regional Waste Management Planning Office.”
Cork City Council’s Director of Operations, David Joyce, added “The majority of Cork City citizens are already involved in some form of waste segregation and recycling. More than 76% of households in Cork City avail of a waste collection service, with 81% of those householders using a three-bin service. It is also worth noting that Cork City had the highest total household WEEE collected for recovery in the Southern Region in 2019 and 2018, with 13.64 kg recovered per person in 2019 and 13.93kg per person in 2018. Our Bring Sites and Civic Amenity Site are extremely busy and collect more materials for recycling year on year. I believe, however, that with some encouragement and support these figures can be improved even further.”
Mary Walsh, Environmental Awareness Officer with Cork City Council, is also encouraged by people’s willingness to learn more and do more when it comes to reduce, reuse and recycle.
“During Cork City Council’s Waste Awareness Week we will encourage people to improve their waste management habits even further through some clear advice and easy to follow tips.”
Through a series of online videos and a social media campaign, Cork City Council will provide information and tips each day relating to different topics of interest or concern, including:
- Greener Cleaning/Household Hazardous Waste: Monday 16th
- Reuse of Textiles: Tuesday 17th
- Food Waste: Wednesday 18th
- Recycling in Cork City: Thursday 19th
- Cork City’s Recycling Services: Friday 20th
“Waste Awareness Week in Cork City will help people become more aware of the services available in the city and how best to avail of them, as well as encouraging people to be more conscious of what they can do in the fight against waste,” said Ms Walsh.
Supporting the week-long event, Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Joe Kavanagh, said, “I urge everyone to join this virtual event and follow Cork City Council on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all the content and highlights associated with Waste Awareness Week. These platforms, along with mywaste.ie will continue to be a resource for the people of Cork City, helping them to stay informed about the city’s waste management plans and our progression in this area, long after this week’s events are over.”
Philippa King, Regional Waste Coordinator, Southern Regional Waste Management Planning Office, explained that events like Waste Awareness Week play a key role as the region prepares for the next Waste Management Plan.
“The Regional Waste Management Plans efficiently and collectively represent and protect the obligations of the Local Authority Sector under the Waste Management Act. The Regional Waste Management Offices ensure the three headline targets of the plans are met; 1% reduction in the quantity of household waste per annum; a recycling target of 50% for Municipal Waste; and reduce to 0% direct disposal of residual waste to landfill. To achieve these goals the Regional Waste Management Offices liaise with and co-ordinate the activities of a wide range of stakeholders, including the local authorities and the public, to ensure delivery of the headline targets and to ensure all the objectives and policy actions of the plan are met.”
Cork City Waste Awareness Week takes place from November 16th to 20th, 2020.