Tips on Green gardening and cleaning at home

Cathaoirleach Ken Glynn is inviting everyone to consider alternative, more sustainable ways to garden and clean this springtime.

Greener Gardening, Greener Cleaning and Greener Home Hints are informative guides to help you garden in a more environmentally friendly way.

“It’s easy to fall into a pattern of purchasing well-known brands of pesticides and herbicides but we forget that these can often wash off the soil when it rains and cause local pollution,” begins Cllr Ken Glynn.

"It’s the same with household cleaning products. We forget that they contain chemicals, and some have a large amount of packaging with many being single use such as cleaning wipes.

"Many of these products have a negative effect on our environment and by making small changes to the way we do things in our daily life we can make a difference”.

The Greener Cleaning guide has easy-to-use instructions on how to make your own cleaning alternatives.

Essentially there are five ingredients that are recommended to be as effective as commercial products, are multi-functional and cheap in comparison to purchasing store bought solutions.

The ingredients are baking soda, soda crystals, white vinegar, lemon juice and salt.

The Greener Gardening guide tackles the gardener’s rivals - the humble slug, insects, bugs, weeds and much more.

“Gardening benefits the environment in various ways; trees absorb carbon dioxide, plants provide food and habitats for wildlife and growing vegetables reduces our carbon footprint so if we can consider how we garden and make better, more natural product choices we can maximise the benefits our gardens give us and our environment” stated the Cathaoirleach.

The Greener Home Hints guide is focused on inspiring us to make greener choices when decorating our homes and includes information on painting, upcycling, repairs, tool tips and much more.

Now, more than ever, we are better informed about the impact our consumer choices have on the environment.

Consumerism is a real environmental concern; natural resources are depleting rapidly, so we all need to embrace the circular economy. This means thinking before we buy and asking whether we really need it, can we repair it, and what will become of the item after we have used it.

The guides are available from the Environment Department of Westmeath County Council and can be requested by emailing awareness@westmeathcoco.ie or phoning 044 933 2125.