Businesses in Adare are preparing to ditch single use paper cups as the County Limerick village embraces sustainability and the circular economy.
In a first for Limerick, a reusable cup rental scheme is being rolled out across the village where the Adare Green Business Hub was launched last week by the Mayor of Limerick, John Moran.
The new Green Hub aims to foster a community-led approach to drive local action on the circular economy and climate action.
The project is being delivered by Limerick City and County Council’s Environment and Climate Action Department, in partnership with the My Waste team, Adare Tidy Towns and the Adare Business Community.
The initiative will primarily provide resources and support to local businesses looking to adopt more sustainable waste management practices, particularly waste prevention strategies, and improve waste separation within the 3-bin waste system.
This will include promotion of the suite of FREE materials, developed by www.mywaste.ie/business, which are available to the business community, including:
bin signage
posters
training animations
testimonials (videos)
Mayor of Limerick John Moran welcomed the initiative saying, “The tremendous community led approach behind creating this project will no doubt improve sustainability in the village of Adare and go on to have a positive impact on climate change. In this modern world, Ireland is moving away from the traditional “take-make-use-dispose” model towards a “circular economy” regenerative growth model where resources are reused or recycled as much as possible and waste is minimised. This transition is now essential to reduce pressure on the earth’s natural resources, aid in achieving climate targets, support Sustainable Development Goals and create sustainable growth and jobs.”
Helen Kenneally, Environmental Awareness Officer with Limerick City and County Council is encouraging the business community to engage with the project, saying, “The www.mywaste.ie/business toolkit is a very clear, versatile resource which will assist the business community to standardise their waste bin labelling both within the premises and at the back door.  This, in turn, will improve the separation of the waste generated on the business premises into the three bin system, and will help to prevent contamination of the waste streams.   This is a positive climate action and will contribute to the circular economy. It is worthwhile for any business to spend some time browsing through the toolkit which is really user friendly.”
In addition, the campaign will publicly recognise businesses that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability.
Businesses are invited to book a one-to-one session with a Limerick City and County Council waste advisor who will visit individual business premises to help identify simple changes to improve waste segregation and recycling.
With the assistance of Adare Tidy Towns and www.2gocup.ie, a reusable cup rental scheme is being introduced in Adare as part of the campaign. It is envisaged that the scheme will promote the use and sale of reusable cups in Adare and help to reduce single use.
Please contact businesswaste@limerick.ie for further information and assistance.