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Carlow service station to host electrical recycling event

Linda Stewart — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 09:26:29 +0000

Nolan’s Service Station in Co Carlow is to host a free e-waste collection this October as part of a series of events supported by Carlow County Council.

The Ballon filling station will host the event on Thursday October 13 from 10am-1pm.

Householders are being urged to bring their electrical and electronic waste to the free e-waste half day collection events across the county to help meet recycling targets which have increased since the first lockdown in 2020.

The e-waste collection events will be touring through Carlow throughout October, hosted by WEEE Ireland and supported by Carlow County Council.

The events kick off on Tuesday October 4 at Borris Mart, Fenagh Road, Borris, from 10am-1pm, before moving to McGrath Park, Dunleckney, Muine Bheag later that day, from 4pm-7pm.

Thursday October 06 will see the collection move to Rathvilly GAA Club from 10am-1pm, and then Hacketstown Fire Station, Fairgreen, Hacketstown from 4pm-7pm.

On Tuesday, October 11, Carlow town will see a full day of collection from 10am-6pm at the Town Hall car park, Barrow Track.

Nolan’s Service Station, Ballon, kicks off the final day of the collections on Thursday October 13 from 10am-1pm, and they will move to Tesco Car Park, Abbey Street, Tullow from 4pm to 7pm.

“In Carlow, and across Ireland, we are buying more electrical goods than ever – with the annual tonnage on the market rising from 15kg a head in 2016 to 22kg a head last year,” said WEEE Ireland CEO Leo Donovan.

“Shopping stats during the pandemic showed a surge in spend on new electrical devices like mobile phones, computers, small kitchen appliances and white goods.

“With old items still lying around many households we want to offer the opportunity to recycle these for free.

“People in Carlow have contributed greatly to e-waste recycling every year, and we want to encourage that trend.”

A surge in lockdown spring cleaning saw 696 tonnes of electrical waste collected in Carlow by the country’s largest recycling scheme in 2021, despite Covid-19 and travel restrictions still in place for much of the year.

However, the county’s e-waste target for 2022 has increased to 13kg per person, to reflect yearly increases in electrical goods consumption, accelerated by Covid-19.

“82% of all material that we collect is recovered for use again in manufacturing through both indigenous operators and specialist processors in Europe,” said Mr. Donovan.

“In 2021, the equivalent of 231,179 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided by recycling e-waste through the WEEE Ireland Scheme as opposed to landfilling. That is the equivalent of the annual carbon consumption of 4,624 hectares of trees.”

WEEE Ireland accounts for over two thirds of all national waste electrical and electronics collection activity on behalf of 1,296 producer members.

“Most end-of-life products contain metals and minerals in higher concentrations than primary resources. These stocks of resources are the urban mines of the future, so our recycling efforts can have a significant impact on the environment while supporting support Irelands Circular economy,” said Tadgh Madden Senior Executive Engineer, Carlow County Council.

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Industry group urges transition to hydrogen-fuelled transport

Linda Stewart — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 09:29:05 +0000

A report from Hydrogen Mobility Ireland estimates a 2.6pc drop in carbon emissions could be achieved this decade with a shift to hydrogen across transport.

A new white paper recommends the deployment of hydrogen across transport in Ireland to propel the country’s transition to net-zero emissions.

“The sooner that we implement a national hydrogen strategy, the sooner we will transition away from fossil fuels, towards a low-carbon economy,” Jonathan Hogan, business manager at Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), said.

The report from HMI estimates that the deployment of hydrogen across transport in Ireland could result in a 2.6% drop in carbon emissions by 2030.

Ireland recently opened a public consultation on the development of a national hydrogen strategy.

Countries such as France, Portugal and Germany have already allocated billions in investment for hydrogen production. The HMI report suggests that a proportional investment from Ireland could see 6,000 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles hit the road by 2030.

The report was launched alongside research into the benefits of green hydrogen as a renewable energy source. ‘Green hydrogen’ refers to hydrogen that has been produced using renewable electricity.

Members of Hydrogen Mobility Ireland include Toyota, Maxol, Hyundai, Energia, ESB, Bord na Móna and Gas Networks Ireland.

HMI also estimates that CO2 emissions from heavy goods vehicles could be completely eliminated through a hydrogen transition and that thousands of jobs could be created in hydrogen production.

Minister for the Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan, TD, launched the report, saying: “Moving to cleaner and greener technologies is critical if we are to reduce the carbon footprint of our public transport system and examining all available technologies is essential.

“It is vital that Ireland should realise the full potential of green hydrogen in decarbonising our economy and energy and transport systems, and we are taking important steps to achieve this.”

Ryan added that he hopes to see a national hydrogen strategy published by the end of the year. This is among the more immediate needs identified by the HMI report, which also includes medium and long-term recommendations.

“The publication of our policy papers, and the opening of the public consultation on a national hydrogen strategy serves as a noted example of how Government and industry can work in true partnership to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time,” said Hogan.

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McCulla launches Ireland’s first circular solution waste-to-energy transport fleet

Linda Stewart — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 10:37:07 +0000

Environment Minister Edwin Poots has attended the launch of Northern Ireland’s first circular solution waste-to-energy transport fleet.

The innovation by McCulla (Ireland) Limited provides a waste to energy solution to fuel McCulla’s transportation fleet. McCulla have achieved this by extending their existing Anaerobic Digestion Plant in Lisburn further to allow them to produce compressed bio-methane on site which will then be used as a bio-fuel.

At the launch, Minister Poots said: “I welcome this innovative and exciting initiative by McCulla Transport to power its fleet which is also very timely this Food Waste Action Week.

“This is a prime example of the circular economy at work. In this case, compressed bio-methane produced from waste food is being used to power the vehicles that deliver food to the very supermarkets whose waste was used to produce the bio-fuel in the first place.”

The Minister added: “This waste to energy recovery makes a very positive contribution to society. This initiative demonstrates how business needs and environmental needs can complement each other for mutual benefit.

“Northern Ireland’s transition to a circular economy will undoubtedly be a cornerstone of achieving reductions in carbon emissions as well as contributing to our net zero ambitions. This will help us deliver a greener, low carbon and circular economy for Northern Ireland and contribute towards my Green Growth Strategy and our new climate legislation.”

Speaking at the launch, Ashley McCulla said: “We are extremely proud to introduce Northern Ireland’s first circular economy waste-to-energy transport fleet. Through collaborative partnerships we collect food waste from our customers and process it through our anaerobic digester plant to produce energy. This includes electricity for our cold stores and bio-methane gas for our trucks.

“These trucks reduce CO2 emissions by 93% in comparison to diesel. We also supply bio-fertiliser to local farms to grow more food. It really is a full circle process that reduces waste to an absolute minimum right across our supply chain.”

The Minister concluded: “I would also like to encourage everyone to take a few small steps at home over the next few to support Food Waste Action Week.”

Caption: Environment Minister pictured with Peter Summerton from McCulla

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The Mighty Mushroom Co takes to the streets with ‘fart free’ cow

Julie Nash — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 14:15:01 +0000

The Mighty Mushroom Co takes to the streets of Ireland with its ‘Fart Free’ cow, just in time for National BBQ Week.

According to recent data, producing and cooking the crops and livestock used in a typical barbecue for four people produces 23.2kg of CO2.

The beef patty accounts for much of the emissions, as cattle produce huge volumes of methane from belching and flatulence during their lives, while cooking them produces CO2.

To mark National Barbeque Week, the Mighty Mushroom Co. has unveiled Ireland’s first ‘fart-free’ cow – asking the nation to give meat a miss on the grill this summer.

Irish brand, The Mighty Mushroom Co, will be taking the stunt to the streets of Ireland in a bid to get consumers to think about their meat consumption and its effect on the environment.

Plant based meals

To make plant-based meals more exciting, The Mighty Mushroom Co has launched its first range of meat-free Mince, Burgers and Cumberland Style Sausages into EUROSPAR Ireland (from RRP €3.50)

The family run mushroom grower is encouraging us all to eat less meat and switch to its delicious range of products, that contain up to 85% mushrooms.

With supermarket shelves predominantly stocked with soy-based meat alternatives; the Mighty Mushroom Co range prides itself on being entirely soy-free. The full range is also gluten-free, and vegan friendly – better for you and the planet.

It is easy to make a simple swap for meat in your favourite family recipes, cooking with this plant-based mince helps to not only do your bit for the planet but will ensure you create tasty meat-free meals such as Bolognese, lasagne or even a spicy chilli con carne recipe.

Flexitarian

Last year, the main greenhouse gas CO2 reached record levels – 417 parts per million1, a level not seen for many years. However, many people are unaware of why it is important to live more sustainably. The range offers a more sustainable solution to the environmental impact of the meat industry, offering a great-tasting meal option for flexitarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike.

Look out for the Mighty Mushroom Co cow on the streets of Dublin and snap and share at #MightyMeatFree and @themightymushroom.co

The Meat-Free Mince can be purchased for RRP €3.99 and the Burgers, Cumberland Sausages have an RRP starting from €3.50.

The Mighty Mushroom Co range is now available at EUROSPAR across Ireland.

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