West Wicklow cafés and pubs battle against plastic

ELEVEN cafés and pubs in west Wicklow have joined up to an initiative that aims to cut down on the amount of plastic bottles in circulation.

The huge damage plastic pollution is causing on a worldwide scale has made headlines in recent months and Baltinglass Fair Trade has started its own war on plastic bottles.

The non-profit organisation is supporting the work of Refill Ireland and its environmental waste prevention project that identifies locations promising to provide ‘no quibble’ tap water refills for people with their own reusable bottles.

The project’s website has a ‘ Tap Map’ showing refill locations throughout the country.

Before Baltinglass Fair Trade got involved, there was only one location featured in the general area, namely near to the entrance of the Tinahely Railway Walk. Now eleven more – stretching from Blessington to Rathdangan – are all involved and showing they are part of the campaign by displaying a Refill.ie sticker.

Philip Reilly of Baltinglass Fair Trade has been delighted with the response from local bars and cafés.

‘I didn’t think we would receive such a level of interest so it is certainly very heartening,’ said Mr Reilly.

‘We all know the amount of plastic bottles that are littering our environment. During clean-ups of roads and ditches, you would be amazed at the amount of empty water bottles you end up collecting. It can take up to 400 years for one bottle to decompose. They are generally only meant for a single use, one use only, yet they are constructed to last for hundreds of years,’ he said.

‘As well as being good for the environment, this initiative enhances west Wicklow’s reputation as a visitor-friendly area, welcoming hikers, climbers, cyclists and anyone else who cares to explore its attractions’.

The locations involved in the initiative are: Bia Blasta, Germaines, Horans, The Perch and Timmins’s of Baltinglass; Blessington Bookstore; Sweet Taste in Dunlavin; The Hollywood Cafe; The Hub in Kiltegan and The Village Pantry in Rathdangan.

Baltinglass Fair Trade also intends to push out the initiative to further locations.

‘We will be approaching other cafés and pubs in west Wicklow and Carlow. We also need to educate members of the public and let them know just how serious the problem is and the major implications it has,’ said Mr Reilly.