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A Guide to Managing Your Household Waste & Domestic Water Usage

On April 5, 2012, in Blog, by John
1

A Guide to Managing Household Waste & Domestic Water Usage 

…please click on the link above for this great free guide!!

I had a very good meeting recently with Dr. Mary Stack, she is Cork County Council’s Environmental Awareness Officer. She heads up this section which has responsibility for developing and implementing environmental awareness programmes in Cork County.

She also has a fantastic guide for helping Households manage their Waste & Domestic Water Usage, great tips on home composting from page 30 onwards which we added to our blog!

Key target groups include businesses, schools and communities. To this end, Dr Mary Stack,  is running a proactive awareness programme with local initiatives at the core.
 

  • At the heart of their youth programme is the Green School Flag initiative. The Council actively promotes this eco Educational Environmental Awards Programme accredited by on Taisce www.greenschoolsireland.org .  Since 2005 and the establishment of the Environmental Awareness and Research Unit, the number of schools with Green Flags has soared from 15 to 180.75% of all schools are afflicated to the programme. The programme is open to third level institutes, crèches and educational institutes like Co-Action Ireland.
     
  • Cork County Council itself has participated in waste minimisation & water-energy conservation programmes ‘Action at Work’ for its own employees was commissioned in 2007. The programme assisted Council staff to follow best practices in waste minimization and energy conservation while at work. 

 

  • The Council through the EARU has also participated in national waste mininisation protects. Currently, the Council’s main machinery depot in Victoria cross is included in a pilot to develop best practices in the sustainable operation of vehicle depots across Ireland [programme sponsored by EPA].

 

  • In Midleton, an office was established (2009) at the SCEAD head quarters where the promotion of sustainable practices for businesses in the East Cork area including waste prevention, energy & water conservation.

 

  • If you would like to contact Dr Mary Stack to discuss your project or initiative she can be reached at the following address:
     
     
     
    Dr Mary Stack
    Cork County Council,
    Inniscarra,
    Cork.
    Tel: 021 4532700
    Email: mary.stack@corkcoco.ie

Oh, do also check out the following link for great tips at reducing food waste, tips for home comoposting and local councils around Ireland!!

http://www.stopfoodwaste.ie/index.php

This is run by the EPA…

All good news!

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We are Shortlisted for Green Awards 2012!

On March 26, 2012, in Blog, by John
1

www.greenawards.ie

Congrats to all the team at Down 2 Earth Materials for being shortlisted in this years SME category as finalists for 2012!

Check out some of the others shortlisted  in all the various categories for the awards on their website www.greenawards.ie

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Food Waste in Europe

On March 15, 2012, in Blog, by John
2

Food Waste in Europe

  1. About 50% of good food gets wasted in EU  restaurants, homes and  supermarkets.  Approximately, 79 million EU citizens live beneath the poverty line and 16 million depend on food aid from charitable institutions. Recently, our EU parliament called for urgent measures to reduce food waste by 2025 by 50% and also to improve access to food for needy EU citizens. What make these figures shocking is that they exclude agricultural losses. 
  2. If nothing is done by 2020, our food wastage will grow 40% says a study published by the Commission. They are many ways to tackle this issue, most importantly when demand for food will outstrip supply. As Europeans, we can no longer afford to stand idly by while perfectly edible food is being wasted. This is an ethical but also an economic and social problem, with huge implications for the environment.
  3. To effectively reduce food wastage by 2025, new awareness campaigns should be run at both EU and here in Ireland to inform the public how to avoid wasting food. We should introduce school and college courses explaining how to store, cook and dispose of food and also exchange best practices to this end. To promote the idea of using food sustainably, MEPs called for 2014 to be designated as “European year against food waste”.

Lets look at Packaging

  1. Labelling could be introduced to show until when food may be sold (sell-by date) and until when it may consumed (use-by date), also, we should ensure that customers understand the difference between labels currently used within the EU, such as the quality-related “best before” and safety-related “use by” dates.
  2. To enable consumers to buy just the amounts they need, food packaging should be offered in a range of sizes and designed to conserve food better. Foods close to their expiry dates and damaged food products should be sold at discounted prices, to make them more accessible to people in need. Public institutions should favour responsible caterers, food packaging that is compostable and biodegradable, should also be used to make awareness in the market that the packaging too can be eco friendly, composting as we know, reduces landfill by being a resource, not waste, entering back into the eco system by being used as compost for plants.
  3. Public procurement rules for catering and hospitality should be updated to ensure that where possible, contracts are awarded to catering companies that use local produce, use eco friendly packaging and give away or redistribute leftover food to poorer people or food banks free of charge, rather than just disposing of it.
  4. EU-level support measures such as distributing food to least-favoured citizens or programmes encouraging consumption of fruit and milk in schools should also be retargeted with a view to preventing food waste.
  5. Awareness about all aspect of waste is key.

Food wastage figures

Current wastage in EU27: 89 million tonnes per annum (i.e. 179 kg per capita)

Projection for 2020 (if no action is taken): 126 million tonnes (i.e. a 40% increase)

Responsibility for food waste:

  1. households: 42% (60% of which is avoidable)
  2. manufacturers: 39%
  3. retailers: 5%
  4. catering sector: 14%

 

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On yer bike!!

On March 8, 2012, in Blog, by John
1

Well, what better way to save your bucks and the environment, than to jump on your bike to work!

Loose a few pounds in weight, gain a few euros in your pocket by saving on fuel, net relief from the government as well as reducing your fossil burning!!

Less oil based fuels = more environment for everyone !

check out http://www.biketowork.ie/ for tax free cycling

“What a great scheme” says all at Down 2 Earth Materials

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A call for food packaging industry, food producers and end users to look for alternative sustainable resources

On January 25, 2012, in Blog, by John
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An opportunity exists now for packaging suppliers, their clients and the end users to search for alternative energy sources based on renewable resources rather than on petroleum as is the current norm. As we search for alternatives to fossil fuels, now is the perfect time to look for ways in which we might produce catering disposables & food packaging, currently made from oil based plastics, that are bio-based.

Bio plastics is something of increasing interest to the packaging industry, especially here in Ireland. In terms of cost, scale and environmental impact, opportunities do exist for us to source, develop and manufacture something which does not deplete the Earth, but is renewable, sustainable and eco friendly. Currently, they are some fantastic products available on the Irish and European market.

PLA (Poly lactic Acid) is an example of bio polymers that have been developed by following this trend. This polymer is biologically sourced and offer the promise of biodegradability & compostability under suitable controlled conditions.

PLA being a bio-based material is still a relatively new material in Ireland. We as responsible industry members, need to assure producers that they won’t be locked into a small limited sources of supply, in Asia, the trend is now looking at mass production, still a way off, but are getting there, year on year. Volumes of PLA are increasing yearly, the packaging industry needs to educate all members on the supply chain infrastructure, to make sure their bio-based products are heading for commercial composters/organics recyclers rather than directly into land fill waste.

PLA products currently available include, deli containers, portion pots, cold cups, straws, cutterly, liners for hot coffee cups, soup containers and so on, cake boxes, salad boxes, pasta boxes, sandwhich boxes, tortilla wrap cartons, the list is almost endless!

By seeking out these alternatives, we as an industry can offer an alternative to petroleum based products. Marking out this territory as coming from renewable resources, I ask you, can we start to shift the focus away from oil based plastics to bio plastics?

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Remember those plastic bags?

On December 1, 2011, in Blog, by John
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Oh how our carrier bags have changed completely. Remember the days of getting loads of these plastic bags in the supermarket with our goodies? Hmmm…. well look at our Italian neighbours, they are said to account for more than a fifth of the plastic bags used in Europe were using about approximately 20 billion plastic bags per year. A recent new law banned bags that are not biodegradable, meaning that shop owners are asked to use bags from paper or other biodegradable or compostable materials. The Italian government regarded this new law as a wonderful starting point, stating that mass rubbish can be seriously reduced. Since its introduction, general litter has fallen and the environment is being improved in general. Italy has now joined a growing number of countries that do not allow or at least influence a general reduction in the usage of plastic bags in everyday life.

Here in good old Ireland, we have a surcharge on plastic bags, a measure that cuts the usage of harmful plastic materials by more than 50% pointing out besides hazardous effects, great potential of death risk for animals. From as recent as 2007 and 2008, plastic bags have started to be banned on local level in America.  Take San Francisco for instance, here they have introduced a law making them forbidden in supermarkets and pharmacies/drug stores. After that, many cities followed that example. Environmental organisations have strongly supported these policies. They indicate that in 21 first century, new technologies based on sustainability have finally found a way to work in contribution to the environment instead of hazardously ruining it’s natural balance.

Ok, so where am I going with this you may well ask…. you see, if you think about it, a plastic bags life span at first glance is approximately only 45 to 60 minutes, this means very simply that it is thrown away rather than being used once again. STOP….. in reality, that plastic bag actually took about about 100,000,000 years (give or take a few million) to be made from Mother Nature! If you bin that plastic bag, it may take up to 400 years to decompose in landfill , where they produce very hazardous and not very nice to our environment gases !!

By looking at alternative compostable or biodegradable materials, governments and political leaders show a very positive trend as ordinary people a.k.a. as you and me, are becoming more aware of the importance of sustainability and preserving our natural surroundings.  So the next time you at the supermarket, make sure that you are getting a paper recycled bag or go a step further and ask them for a compostable bag to take home your goodies!

Remember those plastic bags ?….No thanks !!

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Some very interesting environment facts !!

On October 26, 2011, in Blog, by John
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Facts

 

Waste, water and energy facts & figures

 

Waste Facts

  1. Ireland actually produces over 3 million tonnes of municipal waste each year!
  2. SMEs create over 50% of this commercial and industrial waste!
  3. Waste alone can easily cost  business 5-20 times the cost of disposal.
  4. Wastage of resources costs companies up to an unbelievable 4.5% of turnover!

Water Facts

  1. On average daily water consumption per person in Ireland is over 148 litres
  2. Water wastage can cost as much as 1% of business turnover
  3. Every Euro saved on resource effiency goes straight to the bottom line!
  4. Payback periods for resource effiency initiatives are often months, not years!

Energy Facts

  1. A computer monitor left on standby consumes €19 of electricity per year
  2. On average it can take over ten tonnes of resources to produce 1 tonne of product!
  3. A systematic resource efficiency programme can save up to 1% of turnover
 

Can someone fix the environment please ?

On October 17, 2011, in Blog, by John
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Oil based plastics, we see them everywhere around us. From the ‘disposable’ cutlery, to the deli pots & containers seen in supermarkets, delicatessens to the humble cafe take away for our lunch treat. Oil based plastics are everywhere. So the question now indeed is, can we fix our environment ? Hmm, fix our environment….well that’s not going to happen over night now is it. What we are really looking for is for something to change, not just industry change which is welcome and most definitely on the horizon, but actually you and me need to change the way we buy these items.

  1. When buying your deli products, how about changing the spectrum by buying a compostable product. How about using starch knives, forks and spoons, drinking from PLA lined hot cups, PLA cold cups. Using bagasse tableware, such as plates and bowls derived from sugar, how about reducing your carbon footprints by changing your way of thinking?
  2.  Hang on a second, can we do this now ? From the comfort of our purchasing & shopping duties ? Well as it is, your oil based plastic is seemingly everywhere, produced in huge quantities emanating largely from Asia, sucking this mineral from the ground and vastly polluting our skies and soils with various carbon impurities. On the horizon though, the world is embracing bio plastics through the commercialisation of technologies, for instance, the actual conversion of waste cellulose to sugar is happening,  this will further boost the sustainability of bio plastics (and indeed bio fuels). Additionally, where large volumes of post consumer product made of a hydrolytic homo polymer such as PLA (poly lactic acid), become a reality, infinite chemical recyclability back to the feedstock monomer also become a low carbon footprint reality.
  3. What does this mean ? Industry now is turning to compostable manufacturing….slowly but surly. This means, that instead of oil based plastics heading to landfill,or being recycled, creating more carbon footprints, we can now look forward to a product that can represent a cradle to cradle lifestyle. From earth, to plants, to products….down 2 earth again if you excuse the pun.
  4. So can someone fix the environment please ? Well, the biggest threat to the environment is that someone else will fix it. We all need to adopt and change our individual style of purchasing to be more sustainable.

This is a resource...not waste!

Plant based packagingStarch cutlery

 

Compostable v’s Biodegradable ….

On October 2, 2011, in Blog, by John
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How many times have you seen, for instance, in a supermarket, biodegradable refuse bags for sale up on that dazzling display of a shelf. You say, sure that’s great, stick them in your trolley and away home you go, put it into the kitchen bin and hey presto, you are a confirmed Eco citizen!

Well, fairplay to you and by ‘you’ I do include myself for buying these bags. It is a step in the right direction, but something thats biodegradable, whilst in itself all good, its really designed to break down over an unspecified time frame, that means even many years. There is no time limit for these products to ‘disappear’, so these lovely biodegradable bags could take 10, 20, or a 100 years to actually degrade.

Now, the word ‘compostable’ is rising its head over the last few years, are compostable bags & food packaging the same as biodegradable bags & food packaging ? Well, in truth, no they are not. Compostable in terms of food packaging means they must break down within 180 days, end result, they turn to into earth, becoming an actual resource that you can use to feed plants. Now, imagine your bags were made from starches, from our humble spuds and corn. Imagine a whole range of food packaging ranging from hot and cold cups, knives, forks, spoons, deli pots, containers, cartons and yes, your refuse liners been actually made from plants, only to reduce to compost within 180 days to become a resource that can be fed to new plants…. the cycle continues…..simple, easy and effective.

Now, would you feel better, reaffirming your status as an Eco citizen ??? Take a look at the fully compostable materials derived from plants, available in Ireland at www.down2earthmaterials.ie

Compostable…. you new Eco word of the day! ;)

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Did you know….?

On September 13, 2010, in Blog, by Janet
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  • Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
  • Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.
  • The world’s per capita grain production has been on the downfall since 1985 despite the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
  • Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to half a can of gasoline.
  • By turning down your central heating thermostat one degree, fuel consumption is cut by as much as 10%.
  • One ton of carbon dioxide that is released in the air can be prevented by replacing every 75 watt light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
  • The average European produces 150 to 600 kilograms of municipal waste a year—but this has led to the adoption of alternative methods of waste disposal, cleaner production technologies, and more recycling.
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