New Zero Waste Group in Maynooth

What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste started out as an industrial term but now has become a term to describe a way of life in which you try to produce as little waste as possible. Zero Waste involves looking at your lifestyle and shopping habits in a new way and becoming more conscious of the way you consume – from food to
clothes to gifts. Modern life and the idea of convenience has resulted in a plethora of plastic products being bought, used and discarded – often within a short time frame. Think of the plastic straw in your drink, the water bottle, the light plastic fruit and veg bags – all thrown away within minutes of purchase. But we are now beginning to understand that there is no such place as “away”. The plastic ends up polluting our seas and killing animals that mistake it for food. Recycling is only a small part of the solution – refusing and reducing the use of these products is more important. So try
out these small Zero Waste living tips:

1. Carry a reusable water bottle with you.
2. When ordering a drink, get into the habit of saying “No straw please”.
3. Keep a reusable bag in the car or your bag.
   Zero Waste is part of the solution to the global environmental problem. But it isn’t all doom and
   gloom – living a Zero Waste life can be a creative project that ends up saving you money. Buying
   second-hand, borrowing rather than buying, subsitituting reusables for disposables can require
   imagination, can result in a lighter bin and more money in your pocket. Ask yourself the following
   questions:
4. Instead of kitchen roll, what have you got at home that you could use instead?
5. Before buying new, have you asked a friend/neighbour if you could borrow first?
6. When buying fruit and vegetables, could you buy loose instead of pre-packaged? Could you
   make cloth bags or re-use ones that you have at home?
   
   The Conscious Cup Campaign was started in late 2016 with the aim to reduce and eventually eliminate single use cups in Ireland. The central focus points of this campaign will be to encourage individuals to switch to reusable cups and to persuade coffee shops to; one, accept the reusable cups and two offer a reward to those customers, be it a monetary discount or extra loyalty points / stamps. Currently cafes in Maynooth are being approached to take part in this campaign. We are
   delighted that already we have two cafes looking to join the campaign and offer discounts if you bring your own reusable cup:

 Willow&Wild
 L’Art du Chocolat.

We hope all cafes and venues will see the great benefits of this campaign to our local environment!

To find out more about Zero Waste:
There is a Zero Waste Maynooth Area group – you can find us on Facebook. We are holding our first official meeting in the community library on Tuesday 21 st November at 6.30. Timi Nicholson , an advocate of Zero Waste living (simplenowastelife.com), will present a short introduction to Zero
Waste living. There will be time after the talk for questions and discussion. Please come along and learn some ways to reduce your family household waste.