This Tipperary Town Plans To Be Ireland’s Very First ‘Zero Waste’ Zone

We would all love to reduce the amount of waste we produce and help the environment, but the majority of us do very little to put this into action.

Not so, however, for the people in the Tipp town of Cashel, as they have launched today their “Towards Zero Waste Cashel” initiative in the hopes of becoming Ireland's very first waste free town.

“Towards Zero Waste Cashel” is an 18-month pilot initiative which promotes reducing waste and repairing and repurposing items.

Led by environmental charity VOICE, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and supported by the Southern Region Waste Management Office and Tipperary County Council, the project aims to develop this typical Irish town into an environmentally friendly example of positive change.

"A lot of changes"

“The success of the project will depend on a lot of changes - changes in every day practices, behaviours and indeed attitudes towards waste,” said Pauline McDonogh to the Tipperary Star. Pauline is currently a Waste Prevention Officer with the SRWMO.

“Towards Zero Waste Cashel” will see the introduction of a number of local community projects that should encourage a change in behaviour when it comes to dealing with waste.

“These projects include making people more aware of the proper segregation of waste; reducing the amount of single use items in the community; promoting repair of goods, upcycling, vintage, charity shops, car boot sales and second hand markets.”

The project 's "biggest challenge" could be changing peoples habits and attitudes, such as people's views on single use non recyclable containers, like a take away coffee cup or the plastic spoon used just once to stir a cup of tea.