DCU aims to be top of class in war on plastic

DUBLIN City University has become the first Irish university to go ‘plastic-free’ and plans to phase out single-use plastics completely by 2020.

Takeaway coffee cups, singleuse takeaway containers, takeaway cutlery, and single-use plastic straws will be eliminated by September 2018, the university said.

Plastic drink bottles will be phased out by 2020.

The Irish Daily Mail has been running a ‘Turn The Tide On Plastic’ campaign to inform people about the dangers of plastic to the environment.

A survey by scientists at NUI Galway earlier this year revealed 73% of deep-water fish in the northwest Atlantic have ingested microplastics.

This was among the highest levels found among fish in the world. Each year, eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into Irish waters

DCU launched the initiative as part of Green Campus week. ‘Our prioritisation of sustainability as a key theme reflects DCU’s commitment to address a very real challenge, both at local and global levels,’ said DCU president Brian MacCraith in a statement.

Other universities are also taking steps to reduce plastic waste. Last year, UCC banned disposable coffee cups in the library and removed 140 small bins, each with a plastic bag.

The DCU initiative comes as campaigners announced April 21 as a ‘Shop and Drop’ day in which shoppers are asked to leave excess plastic packaging at supermarket tills.