News

Monaghan County Council is committed to supporting local communities to promote, enhance and develop their local area. This commitment is supported by the annual Environmental Funding Scheme.

We are now inviting applications for the 2022 funding scheme.

Please note this funding is only for Environmental related projects.

 

Guidelines on criteria and application forms for the Environmental Services Funding Scheme 2022 may be obtained:

 

• By downloading the forms from monaghan.ie/environment

Environment Fund Application Form 2022 (MS Word)

Environment Grant Scheme Guidelines 2022 (MS Word)

Supplier Set Up 2022 (MS Word)

• By email to environmentfund@monaghancoco.ie
• By contacting Environmental Services on 042 – 9661240

 

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 4^th MARCH 2022

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

The Green-Schools Travel team is inviting schools to take part in the big TRAVEL CHALLENGE 2022. This year the Travel competition is celebrating seven years of successfully encouraging more students to enjoy the benefits of actively travelling to school in the month of February.

Walking, cycling, wheeling or scooting to school can be an opportunity to increase physical activity in the darker winter months, when time spent outdoors is often reduced. The aim of the challenge is to promote a sustainable mode of transport of your choice for 10 days during the month of February.

For more information please visit: greenschoolsireland.org/the-big-travel-challenge-2022

 

Real Christmas trees may be dropped off for recycling at either Scotch Corner or Carrickmacross Recycling Centre. Real trees will be accepted until the end of January 2022. Normal gate fee charges will apply. For more information on opening hours etc., please visit https://www.mcelvaneywaste.com/

Many gifts, while lovingly bought go unused, particularly gift sets and novelty items. Giving doesn’t always mean buying. So for a greener Christmas and some smarter gift giving, why not try some of the following ideas. Click on the PDF for even more ideas!

MyWaste’s Food Waste Bin Road Show to reach Main Street, Carrickmacross on Saturday 4^th December 2021.

• Roadshow will provide free Food Waste separation toolkits and information to the people of Monaghan.
• Pilot resulted in significant increase (20%) in correct food disposal and decrease in waste

MyWaste, Ireland’s official guide to waste management, is commencing its food waste separation roadshow, after the pilot programme recorded a 20% increase in the amount of food waste disposed of correctly.

On Saturday December 4, 2021, the Food Waste Separation Team will be at Main Street, Carrickmacross, handing out free starter kits and some easy to follow advice. The kit will contain a free kitchen caddy, a starter pack of caddy liners and an information leaflet. To avail of the kit, people just have to show up and bring their eircode so that MyWaste can ensure as many households as possible benefit from this free service.

MyWaste, will visit locations around Ireland as part of the roadshow, following the success of a pilot project conducted in 2019.

Pauline McDonogh, spokesperson for MyWaste said that the pilot programme gave great insight into people’s willingness to segregate their waste properly once armed with the correct information and equipment.

“During the pilot project, waste collectors reported an increase of between 20 and 25% in food waste tonnage presented for disposal, while contamination decreased by more than 56%.  In relation to the caddy and liners, as many as 81% of respondents found the caddy enormously helpful,” said Ms McDonogh.

“We know that people are finding this food waste bin resource very useful and it is significantly impacting how we manage our waste. I would therefore encourage anyone in the Carrickmacross area on Saturday to come along and pick up your free starter pack.”

Environmental Awareness Officer with Monaghan County Council Sharon Finnegan said, “Almost 40% of household waste that goes to Irish landfill every week is organic waste, and the majority of this organic waste is food.The incorrect disposal of food waste can increase greenhouse gas emissions and contribute negatively to climate change.  Disposing of food waste correctly contributes to improving recycling rates and developing the circular economy which will create more green jobs in Ireland.”

The Food Waste Separation Roadshow initiative is co-ordinated by the Regional Waste Management Offices, supported by the IWMA, EPA, Cre, and the local authorities and funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications,

To find out more information on food waste management and to have all your waste related questions answered log on to www.mywaste.ie

 

A three year Litter Management Plan in relation to the measures being under taken by Monaghan County Council, with the assistance of community and voluntary groups, schools, businesses, retailers and all citizens of County Monaghan was adopted by Monaghan County Council at their October monthly meeting.

You can download a copy of the plan here:

Final Litter Management Plan Adopted 11th October 2021

Tá cóip den Phlean le fáil as Gaeilge anseo:

Final Plean Bruscair 2021 2023 October 2021

Householders can now place all plastic packaging into the household recycling bin – once it is clean dry and loose. This includes both soft and rigid plastics everything from a plastic bottle to the plastic film on fruit packs!

This is a welcome development, as currently in Ireland we recycle less than one third of all our of plastic packaging. A big percentage of our plastic waste now ends up in the general household bin, and unless this plastic packaging is collected and separated, it will never be recycled. Collecting soft and rigid plastics in the household recycling bin is a big step towards separating available recyclable plastics that are currently being sent to landfill and energy recovery.

2018 Irish data show us that of the 264,000 tonnes of plastic packaging generated, we only recycled 82,000. To achieve targets for plastics of 50% by 2025, and 55% by 2030, the recycling of plastics in Ireland will have to increase.

In recent years, there have been many improvements in the technology used for plastic recycling. For example, some Irish recycling facilities now use state of the art optical sorting equipment that can identify different plastic types based on reflection and refraction of light beams, which has increased the opportunity to recycle more plastics. This coupled with continued advancements in technology and the emergence of new markets for different plastic types will also play an important role in plastic recycling into the future.
Currently, any non-recyclable plastics can be converted to a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) which is used in cement kilns. This replaces fossil fuels, which has a positive impact in terms of lower greenhouse gas emissions.

By putting all clean dry loose plastic packaging into the recycling bin, for example bread wrappers, crisp packets, breakfast cereal bags, pasta packets, fruit and veg wrap, sweet wrappers and plastic shopping bags, we can ensure that no recyclable plastic inadvertently ends up in landfill. As technology improves and more types of plastic can be recycled, recycling system will be able to sort and pick them up without delay.

These simple changes to our recycling habits can therefore have an impact on our recycling rates. It will now be much easier for householders to sort waste – remembering, that all clean, dry and loose plastic packaging, both soft and rigid, can go into our recycling bins.

To find out more visit www.mywaste.ie

New ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’ Campaign Launched

• New ‘Leave No Trace’ national awareness campaign focus on littering, responsible dog management, and the dangers of campfires.
• Appeal to the public to embrace ‘Leave No Trace’ principles and look after our outdoors.
• #LoveThisPlace #LeaveNoTrace hashtags on social media.

 

A new public awareness campaign from Leave No Trace Ireland and its partners calls on the public to exercise renewed care and responsibility when outdoors in managing dogs, preventing litter, and ensuring that there are no fires unless on a designated site.

As we enter summer, Leave No Trace Ireland – Ireland’s only outdoor ethics programme which promotes the responsible use of the outdoors – is encouraging everyone to ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’.

The campaign is asking the public to play their part by acting responsibly so that everyone can experience and enjoy outdoor spaces while helping to protect them from increased pressures this year as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Speaking on the launch of the ‘Love This Place, Leave No Trace’ campaign, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said it is important that everyone who enjoys the great outdoors embraces the Leave No Trace ethos:

“As we all look forward to an outdoor summer, it’s more important than ever to protect the places we love and leave no trace. We have a duty to our environment, to wildlife and to each other to be responsible stewards of the natural world – our national parks, woodlands, rivers, beaches, mountains and everywhere in between.

“Loving nature, wildlife and the great outdoors means being thoughtful, prepared and proactive – packing a picnic rather than a disposable bbq that could cause a serious fire, bringing a bin bag to pick up rubbish that could otherwise harm wildlife, keeping dogs on leads rather than letting them go and potentially worrying farm animals or breeding birds, keeping our distance from wild birds, mammals and marine life and observing them without disturbing or disrupting them.

“As more of us seek the beauty, exhilaration and escapism of outdoor recreation, our collective impact on the environment also increases. By being responsible and leaving no trace, we can help the wild places and species we love to stay wild.”

The campaign focuses on three critical pressure points which have become increasingly evident as greater numbers of people ‘stay-cation’ and use outdoor public spaces for recreation during the Covid pandemic. These pressure points include increased littering of the countryside and outdoor spaces, an increase in dog fouling, dog worrying and attacks on farm livestock as the numbers of pet dogs approaches an estimated 800,000, and the devastation that can be caused by fires from campfires and barbeques that get out of control.

The Love This Place, Leave No Trace campaign will emphasise several key messages:

Littering: 

1. Plan ahead and always pack a bin bag with you when heading outdoors. By taking your rubbish home with you, you are playing your part in keeping our outdoor spaces litter free and beautiful.

Responsible Dog Ownership and Control:

1. Always pick up after your dog, bag it and safely bin it, or bring it home with you.
2. Keeping your dog on a lead shows consideration for others and avoids disturbing livestock and wildlife.

Campfires, and Disposable BBQs:

1. No fires unless on a designated site. You should not light a campfire unless you have permission from the landowner.
2. If you are at a designated site, where campfires are permitted, make sure you have the skills for setting and using campfires. See org for detailed guidance on using campfires safely.
3. Do not use disposable BBQs.

Information and guidelines for individuals, communities and organisations are available from https://www.leavenotraceireland.org/love-this-place-leave-no-trace.  where you can also show your support and take the Love This Place, Leave No Trace Pledge.

Monaghan County Council has published a Baseline Study Report on the Poultry Sector within Co. Monaghan, prepared by Fehily Timoney Consultants.

The report quantifies the scale and importance of the poultry sector in the county and seeks to stimulate initiatives to allow the industry to develop in the coming decade.

Click here to read the Baseline Study Poultry Sector Co.Monaghan July 2021 PDF>>