Trim toasts new Circular Economy Action Plan

A RETURNABLE, reusable coffee cup - the Trim Community Cup' has been introduced in the town as part of the Trim Circular Economy Action Plan, launched in the Swift Cultural Centre last week.

Trim Climate Action and Trim Tidy Towns have collaborated to produce a Circular Economy Action Plan for the town that outlines a clear strategy to tackle waste, reduce carbon and improve their environment.

Michael Breen of Trim Climate Action explained that a circular economy is one in which we realise that resources are finite and should therefore be used for as long as possible. "It is one in which waste is kept to a minimum. We can achieve this by sharing, repairing, swapping, refilling, reusing and recycling. This sounds very similar to how our parents and grandparents used to live!"

Brian Heffernan, Trim Tidy Towns, added that every day their volunteers pick up litter that doesn’t need to be there. "It is mostly disposable packaging such as coffee cups, plastic bottles, food wrappers, and cans. We hope that we can encourage local schools, businesses and community groups to phase out single-use packaging and switch to reusable. It would have a positive impact on our environment. The returnable cup that our coffee shops have introduced is a good example of this, and we very much welcome it. It should make our lives a lot easier."

The plan contains targets such as encouraging parents to use traditional cloth nappies, rather than the disposable version. It also has a reusable party pack for kids’ birthdays and other family events.

Justyna Doherty, manager of Trim Family Resource Centre, believes that initiatives like this can save families considerable expense, as well as having a positive impact on the planet. She said: "I would encourage parents to use these schemes as it will save them a lot of money on buying disposable items. We try to avoid wasting resources as much as we can and we encourage our families to do the same.

"Our Food Bank is a great way to reduce food waste. We are also going to stop using disposable cups and use the Trim Community Cup instead."

The plan also has goals such as clothing swaps, a repair café and a neighboorhood resources directory, where items such as tools can be shared. The plan’s authors also hope to have a community garden in Trim, where people can learn to grow their own food and share excess produce.

Mary D’Arcy, Climate Action Co-Ordinator, Meath County Council, welcomed the initiative saying: "We are delighted to support community schemes such as this that can have a positive impact on the local environment, as well as the broader goal of combating climate change. I would also encourage people to attend the circular economy events that we have organised. They are taking place around the county and will focus on clothing swaps and gardening workshops. More details are available on www.meath.ie."

The Trim Community Cup is part of the Circular Economy Action Plan for the town. It is a returnable coffee cup, for which customers initially pay a €2 deposit. When they return it, they can get their money back or their next drink in a clean cup. It keeps disposable cups out of the environment, which is great news for Tidy Towns Volunteers. A similar scheme was recently launched in Bettystown and has been a huge success. For more details go to www.trimcommunitycup.ie.

The plan was launched by Cllr Ronan Moore, Cathaoirleach of Trim Municipal District and vice chair of Trim Tidy Towns, who was a driving force behind the introduction of the plan. It is supported by Meath County Council, Trim Credit Union and the Community Foundation of Ireland.