Waste heroes aim for zero

Get Involved – The Sustainable Communities Initiative

Get Involved is a way for communities all over Ireland to work together to improve their lives, create jobs, and protect the environment. It is a sustainable community’s initiative developed by 51 regional newspapers throughout Ireland.

The group selected as the Westmeath Examiner entry for the 2015 Get Involved project have an eventual aim of cutting the waste they produce to one litre per household per year. Veronica Lynam and Orla Dynes are members of Westmeath Environment Group and they are on a mission to show what can be done, and by demonstration, to encourage other people to join them.

“We are part of a group of local people who are sick and tired of the amount of waste in our society,” said Veronica. “Plastic packaging stands out as enemy number one – food waste and non-recyclable containers are high on our agenda too, as are non-essential items we bring into our homes.” Veronica said that what they are doing is asking people to stop, stand back and then decide what is essential for their needs. Then the task is to find out where to buy those essentials without packaging, and in recyclable form. “If we are unable to find them, can we do without them, or better still, find alternatives for ourselves?” she asks. “Our aim is to have as little waste as possible going into our rubbish bins and to live a simpler, more environmentally friendly lifestyle.” Veronica explained that if they can’t find an item they need, either because of packaging or because the container can’t be recycled, they will come up with alternatives, or exchange ideas among group members. “Or better still,” she said, “we are appealing to readers of the Westmeath Examiner. Older people, in particular, have a wealth of knowledge and would be invaluable in giving us ideas. “We also feel that undertaking this project will help us financially because of carefully planned shopping and a minimum of waste going into bins. We are hoping that some of your readers will join us in our project.” Veronica points out that it is hard to return to wasteful ways once you make the change, and that the timing of the project is good, given pending changes to waste collection in Westmeath, which will mean pay per weight.

Veronica Lynam (left) and Orla Dynes making some careful selections while shopping.

 

Rationale for project

Each year the average Irish household sends over a tonne of rubbish to landfill. One third of this waste is food. Some of the rubbish, e.g. plastic bottles, will not decompose for 100 years or more. Our precious soil, air and water are being poisoned rapidly. We, the Westmeath Environmental Group, want to reduce our contribution to this catastrophe. We are asking ourselves to stop and think each time we are about to buy something. We will ask the following questions: (1) Do I need this item? (2) If yes, can I buy it without packaging? (3) If not, how will I dispose of this packaging in a way that cares for the environment?

 

Project Description

Our project has been inspired by an American family who have reduced their household waste to one litre a year. In the process they transformed their health and relationships and managed to reduce their household budget by 40%. Bea Johnson, the mother in the family, wrote a book called Zero Waste home. In it, she tells us that she uses five steps to reduce waste. She calls these steps the 5 Rs: Refuse what you do not need; Reduce what you do need; Reuse what you consume; Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse; Rot (compost) the rest. Our group will come together and discuss how we will implement the 5 Rs in our own homes. While the book Zero Waste home will be our guide, we will focus more on creating our own community which pools our individual ideas, resources and experiences. Some people might have more experience composting, for example, while others might be used to growing their own vegetables. Others might be able to offer recipes for leftover food and household remedies. Everybody will be

able to offer something. The reduction in our waste will happen gradually to give us time to adjust our shopping habits. We will agree as a group on a standard container for rubbish. This size will vary depending on how many people are in each individual household. as the weeks go by we can reduce our standard containers to smaller sizes depending on how successful we are. Our goal is of course one litre a year!