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Think Before You Skip It – Circular Guide to Clear Outs

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Any type of renovation whether doing the work yourself or getting a builder requires a room or in some cases a full house clear out. The same advice can be taken on board when moving house. Think Before You Skip It and think circular economy and prioritise reuse, repurposing, and proper waste segregation.

During renovations, a circular economy approach can be a game-changer. By reusing, repurposing, or upcycling existing materials like reclaimed wood, salvaged fixtures, or donated items, you can significantly reduce waste and minimize the demand for new, resource-intensive materials. This not only helps the environment but can also add unique character to your space. Plus, you can save money by sourcing second-hand materials or repurposing items you already have, making your renovation more sustainable and budget-friendly. It’s a win-win for you and the planet!

When moving house, adopting a circular economy approach can make a huge difference. Instead of buying new boxes, furniture, or supplies and then trashing them after a short use, consider reusing or repurposing items you already have or finding second-hand alternatives. You can also donate or sell items you no longer need, reducing waste and giving others a chance to reuse them. By doing so, you’ll not only reduce your environmental footprint but also save money and support sustainable living. Plus, you might discover some hidden gems or unique items to take with you to your new place!

Here are some steps that will assist you to do a clear out in an efficient and environmentally friendly way:

Remember why we need to be Circular:

The circular economy aims to keep materials and products in-use in the economy for as long as possible. By adopting this sustainable and circular system, we can minimise our waste which will help prevent the unnecessary extraction of raw materials and help the environment.

Now that we all know what it is, how can we play our part?……it’s really easy and we are probably doing a lot already!

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Pollinator-Friendly Herbs to provide pollen rich food for our bees

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Our pollinating insects are in decline. One third of our 99 bee species are at risk of extinction.

There are 99 different species (types) of bees in Ireland. We have one honeybee, 20 different bumblebees and 77 different solitary bees. Bumblebees and solitary bees are known as wild pollinators. Research tells us that if we want our crops and wild plants to be pollinated we need an abundance and diversity of wild pollinators as well as healthy honeybees. While we may not be able to change the global situation on our own, each of us can try to make our gardens havens for bees by growing simple plants such as herbs.

Pollinator-friendly raised herb bed at Ferns Tidy Towns Community Vegetable Garden

Herbs in our Gardens

Herbs are among the most useful plants for attracting bees to our gardens. They grow well alongside other garden species, or in specially designed areas, and some are suitable for containers. Low-growing herbs, such as thyme, can even be used to make fragrant green paths. By choosing pollen-rich herbs for your garden, you will help provide much-needed food for our Bumblebees and other pollinating insects as well as creating a colourful garden or planters that you can use. There are lots of pollinator-friendly herbs to choose from. Most herbs are adaptable to a range of soil and growing conditions and, for the most part, pretty easy to grow.

Good herbs for pots are: Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, Oregano, Mint, Lemon balm and Chives. Be careful of Borage and particularly Mint which can spread. These herbs are all perennials and will come again each year.

Thyme:

Thyme is known for its fragrant leaves and flowers that attract various bees and hoverflies. 

Sage:

Bees are particularly drawn to the blue and purple flowers of sage, providing a valuable food source. 

Rosemary:

This drought-tolerant herb has fragrant needles and blue-purple flowers that attract various bees, including mason bees, flower bees, bumblebees, and honeybees. 

Oregano:

This herb is a good source of nectar for various pollinators

Borage:

Borage boasts bright blue flowers that are very attractive to bees and butterflies,

Chives:

These herbs have pretty blooms and tasty stems and also attract bees and butterflies

For more actions you can take to help pollinators in your garden, business, farm, school or local community see www.pollinators.ie

Categories: Sustainable Living

Successful use of the Deposit Return Scheme

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What a fantastic result! To date, a massive 50,100 units per month is currently being recycled at the Deposit Return point in Centra, Ferns. This figure is increasing month after month and is testament to the community helping to protect our environment by playing their part in leading us towards a more sustainable future by valuing our resources and increasing recycling rates.

What is the Deposit Return Scheme?

The Deposit and Return Scheme went live in February 2024 and is an exciting new, circular initiative which has transformed the way we think about empty drinks bottles and cans. The refundable deposit incentivises us to return these containers so producers can make new bottles out of old bottles and new cans out of old cans, saving materials, energy and reducing litter.

The Deposit Return Scheme works by charging anyone who buys a drink a small deposit for the plastic bottle or can that it comes in. Customers get this money back when they return the container to a retailer or other collection point to be recycled.

The scheme helps to tackle the estimated one billion plastic bottles and 1.6 million aluminium cans that are thought to currently end up in landfills/incinerators or littered in the environment.

We have noted a huge reduction in litter along our roads during our litter picks. We have also noticed an increase in members of the community stopping and picking up plastic bottles and cans from the street and doing a #2minutestreetclean. Another step to moving towards a cleaner and more sustainable Ferns.

As a Circular Economy Initiative the Deposit Return Scheme is helping the community to move away from the ‘take make and dispose’ culture to one of returning valuable materials, and keeping them in the economy for as long as possible.

Did You Know?

A plastic bottle can be recycled up to 7 times and aluminium cans may be recycled infinitely. The Deposit Return Scheme for single-use plastic bottles and cans allows consumers to return them for recycling and get a deposit back. This scheme encourages proper recycling and ensures a higher quality of recycled materials.

By reusing and recycling more effectively, we save energy and water, reduce landfill and there is a lower impact on the planet.

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Make Your Garden a Haven for Biodiversity

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A booklet to assist everyone to help biodiversity by increasing wildlife in their gardens, no matter how big or small, has been recently launched. The brainchild of Juanita Browne, the booklet was produced by Laois County Council with the assistance of Local Authority Heritage Officers across Ireland. Also support from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Heritage Council.

Taking a very practical approach, the book details projects to help wildlife of all kinds under a range of headings, with tasks suitable for everyone from the total beginner to the more ambitious DIY enthusiast. With clear instructions and step-by-step drawings by illustrator Barry Reynolds, the guide offers the gardener lots of options to help our biodiversity.

Biodiversity in Your Garden Children’s Book

As a companion to the book, a children’s book with kid-friendly information on garden wildlife and colouring pages using Barry Reynolds’ fun original illustrations has also been produced.

New guide shows how to look after wildlife in your garden

With increasing agricultural intensification, gardens in many areas can be an oasis for wildlife, and with small changes we can make them even better. The guide outlines actions that can be taken to improve gardens for birds, bees, butterflies, bats and more, and the good news is many of the steps that can be taken are really easy. Just leaving an “untidy” corner of your garden for nature, leaving roadside verges to grow naturally or allowing some of the gold star plants for biodiversity – dandelion, willow, bramble, clover, ivy  – a spot in your garden can reap huge dividends for wildlife.

Every Garden Is Important

Inviting birds, butterflies, bees, wildflowers, and trees into your own garden won’t just help the planet, it will help you too!

A sterile garden, with tightly mown grass, or hard/artificial surfaces, offers humans no exposure to nature, no buzz from busy insects, no birdsong, no life. People feel better when they are surrounded by nature and indeed this sense of wellbeing increases directly with an increase in biodiversity – the wilder the area, with more different types of plants and animals, the better you will feel!

A visit to a town park with tightly mown lawns cannot compare to how good you feel on a walk through a wildflower meadow or a semi-natural woodland. So just imagine the health benefits of bringing some of that feel-good nature right to your back door!

To find out more about how you can create a haven for wildlife you can download Gardening for Biodiversity and Biodiversity in Your Garden – A colouring Book for your mini gardeners. Lets work together and make small changes that will make a big difference to our biodiversity.

A new series of short films has now been made to accompany the book – click below for more:

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Keep Wexford Beautiful Awards 2022

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Ferns Tidy Towns are delighted to have been presented with three awards at the Keep Wexford Beautiful Environment Awards 2022. This competition is not just about maintaining a clean and well presented locality. It is about fostering pride in local communities and recognising and rewarding individuals and groups for their efforts. 

The following criteria will be taken into account when judging entries
•    Community effort
•    Litter management initiatives.
•    Planting initiatives e.g. pollinator friendly planting, sustainable planting.
•    Private gardens represent a huge potential habitat and refuge for Ireland’s pressured wildlife.  By taking some simple actions, you will help to provide much-needed food and shelter for our pollinating insects, while creating a beautiful, colourful garden.  For further information visit – www.pollinators.ie  
•    Treatment of communal areas such as open spaces and grass margins.
•    Best environment initiatives – waste prevention / re-use /  composting / Biodiversity / energy / water conservation / recycling.
•    Best preservation and protection of a heritage site in sympathy with its character.
•    Best access initiatives and provision and promotion of inclusive space.

We were announced as the overall winners in two categories and 2nd place in a third category and presented with two plaques and a certificate along with a cash prize in the following categories:

1st prize – Best Community Waste Prevention/Reuse Project.

1st Prize – Best Community Project that Tackles & Reduces the Impact of Climate Change.

2nd Prize – Best Community. Biodiversity Project.

Best Community Waste Prevention Re-Use Project
Best Community Project that Tackles and Reduces the Impact of Climate Change

Thanks to our very hard working committee, Wexford County Council, CE scheme and RSS workers, primary schools, crèches, local businesses, clubs and the community for getting involved and supporting us over the last year. A special thank you to the children of St. Edan’s national School and Junior Tidy Towns members for taking part in the waste prevention project. Without your continued support these awards would not be possible.

Categories: Awards