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Environment |
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The latest on RECYCLING by Micheal O Coileain, Environmental Officer |
Irish Information on the Environment: |
Dempsey under pressure as greenhouse gases soar |
Fluoride Fine Gael has pledged to end the controversial compulsory practice |
Revolutionary Waste Treatment processes The Herhof system The reCulture process Alternatives to Landfill disposal of Waste! |
coming soon The Herhof System is an integrated system for the treatment of household and commercial waste requiring neither presorting, landfill, nor mass burn......
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The Air Powered Car Zero Emissions & Toyota 39 gas-electric hybrid cars |
New BSE test "will save millions of cows" Foot and mouth: watching out for the warning signs When you move animals across borders, you also move the disease |
Recycling in Muingnaminane & Killarney new! |
The Dumpsite Survey, dumpsite news, from Sliabh Luachra |
Breakthrough in Paper Recycling |
Composting Kit for 10 pounds |
Litter in the Kerry countryside Local councilor speaks out |
Turn your kitchen waste into clean useful organic compost & The perfect bait |
Poor quality drinking water poses risk to 400,000 |
Poor quality drinking water poses risk to 400,000 people |
Carbon dioxide emissions |
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GM bug, a danger to all life Super-weeds Spread Across |
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ESB Community Environment Awards | Saorgus plans to extend wind farm |
Degradable witches knickers | 2.9m plan for organic farmers |
June 11th, 2001, by Micheal O Coileain,
Home Composter Kit, Home composters will be available to anyone who
requires them, there is no limit on the number. Available in
Castleisland Mon. 9th- Wed 11 of July Castleisland Car Park from 10.00am
-5.30pm. Micheal O Coilean |
What the minister
Noel Dempsey suggests, Walking,
car sharing, buying small engine cars, public transport, cycling, buying
food with less packaging, consume less generally is what the poor have
always done. The
future for them is more of the same, now even more virtuous, poverty,
which is an affective way of forcing people from the countryside , into
the urban centres, leaving the countryside to the rich who can continue
to consume and drive around the countryside wherever they like, buy
expensively, packaged food, country holiday homes, they don't need
public transport. |
Dempsey under pressure as greenhouse gases soar By Treacy Hogan/ Senan Molony Environment Minister Noel Dempsey came under fire yesterday following EU confirmation of Ireland's failure to contain greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland exceeded every other EU member state except Spain with emmisions such as carbon dioxide up by over 22pc, nine per cent higher than the rise allowed up to 2010 under the Kyoto Protocol. Mr. Dempsey faced criticism after confirming the introduction of green taxes on fossil fuels from next year. He said the money raised from the new taxes would be used to offset hardship effects on groups such as the elderly. But Fine Gael Leader Michael Noonan accused the minister of having "frightful neck" in criticising US President George W Bush over the Kyoto deal. The latest figures released by the European Environment Agency for the period 1990- 1999 made "frightening reading", said Labour's Eamonn Gilmore. He said the Government's climate change strategy was gathering dust while emission levels continued to go through the roof. "Mr. Dempsey seems oblivious to this catastrophe. His failure to tackle the issue is storing up environmental and economic disaster for the future" A rise of over 22pc, while the EU as a whole managed to reduce greenhouse gases by 4pc, was also attacked by the Greens. Party TD Trevor Sargent said it was embarrassing to watch the Government condemn Mr. Bush's rejection of Kyoto when its own record was nothing short of disgraceful. "The European Environment Agency completely exposes the Government's environmental record for what it is- a complete shambles". Ireland has also failed to meet its commitments on nitrogen oxide emissions and is unlikely to meet targets on sulphur dioxide. |
Degradable witches knickers This plastic bag will turn into water a small amount of carbon dioxide and natural mineralisation, Says Tom Robinson working with Symphony Plastics in the UK. It has been independently tested and was found to be suitable for direct contact with food. It is also completely harmless when buried in soil after it had degraded because plastic comes from oil, and oil originally comes from biomass compressed over many years. It can take 60 days, or up to six years, depending on how the degrading process has been programmed beforehand, and other factors. Tom Robinson, originally from Thomastown, Co Kilkenny is one of the chemists responsible for the concept of a "Bag for Life", which he sees as a limited success. Although a good idea, it required shoppers to change their habits which, apparently, is not something that comes easy to most. Irish retailers alone use almost 300,000 tons of plastic a year, two-thirds of this is plastic carrier bags, which end up in landfill or blowing about in trees and hedges. The degradable bag won't cost retailers any more than they are already paying for their carrier bags, and the shopper won't have to pay for them either. www.degradable.net
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A
car that costs one cent a kilometer to run
The
car is for real and has the solution to the rising fuel cost, because it
runs on compressed air. It’s
made from light composite materials. The piston-driven engine weighs
just 35kg but can produce 37kw using compressed air. To
find out more http://news.bbc.co.uk
look for world/africa/newsid or world/americas/newsid |
![]() engine at the rear Compressed air only 35 KG Tank |
The vehicle, is currently being
produced in France, where the first factories have already been
installed. Mr
Negre says a tank-full of air - on which a car can travel up to 200km
(120 miles) at a speed of about 90km/h - is equivalent to two litres of
petrol. If
fleet owners install their own air stations, filling a car with 300
litres of compressed air could take three minutes. |
The first models of air-powered vehicles - taxis, small pick-ups and delivery vans - are expected to be on the market this year. There are already plans for five production units in Mexico, as well as others in South Africa, Australia, the United States, Spain and Switzerland
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May 30, 2001
Toyota Motors Wednesday delivered to the city of Denver 39 gas-electric hybrid cars that register 52 miles per gallon in city driving.
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The
cars will be used by the Denver Fire Department, Parks and Recreation
and other city agencies Toyota also delivered seven RAV4-EVs, or electric vehicles, that get 126 miles (200 km) on "one tank" or charge, that will be leased by companies in the Denver area. The purchase of the 2001 Prius sedan models, which run on both an electric motor and a conventional engine, will bring to 14 percent the share of the city's light vehicle fleet that runs on alternate fuels, city officials said.The four-door Prius sedan, which seats five, does not need to be recharged because it generates power when the driver steps on the brake. Because of this, the car, which retails at $19,995, gets better mileage in the city than on the highway, 52 mpg (83 kilometers) compared with 48. |
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Revolutionary waste treatment process What Herhof developed was a “closed loop” recycling system. Municipal waste is taken in, shredded and then dried out for six days in large composting boxes. Afterwards, using a variety of technological devices, all of the recyclables- metals, glass, plastic and minerals- are recovered.
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Nothing wasted: the Herhof system, In Germany, one of the Herhof plants, a small incinerator fed by this “refuse-derived fuel” (RDF) provides all of its power needs. Water extracted from the waste is biologically treated, filtered and re-used in the plant’s cooling system, with no discharge to the environment. Exhaust air is also treated to comply with emission standards. Most importantly, because used batteries are recovered during the separation process, the content of heavy metals in the RDF is reduced by 90 per cent. No residue remains to be disposed of in landfill sites; indeed, an old landfill site right beside one of the plants is now being broken down and its decomposed waste fed into the treatment system. Earlier this year, the company signed a contract to build its biggest plant in Trier, to treat and process 180,000 tonnes a year.
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The reCulture approach to
eco-friendly waste management The reCulture process High-grade fuel |
Muingnaminane
’s
Landfill is working on recycling. Waste like old oil, car batteries,
fluorescent tubes, refrigerators……. Organic
waste is composted, and could be used in the garden as a fertile top
dressing. There
are at the moment problems with compost received ; glass, plastic and
silver paper are amongst the items found in the collected organic waste.
This makes the compost unsafe for use. The following items are now acceptable free of charge at the waste transfer station at Coolcaslagh Killarney for recycling elsewhere. News paper, glossy Magazines, household Batteries, glass and drink cans, steel cans, waste car oil, car batteries, white kitchen goods( cookers, etc) fluorescent light bulbs.
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With a new ink-removal process, most paper could be recycled together, eliminating the need for sorting. At the same time, the new process would create a higher-grade pulp from recycled paper than what is currently produced, opening the door for a wider variety of recycled paper products. Research at the University of Florida's Engineering Research Center for Particle Science and Technology, explains that current paper recycling technology involves adding water to paper to create slurry. The recycling plant then increases the alkalinity of the mixture and adds surfactants to absorb ink particles. Adding air bubbles to the slurry by stirring it with an impeller. Finally, these bubbles, with ink particles attached, float to the surface where they can be skimmed off. The new technology replaces expensive surfactants, or surface-active substances, with less expensive chemicals that cause the slurry to generate its own bubbles, eliminating several steps in the process. As a result, the pulp slurry is thicker and contains more solids, which means a given volume of pulp creates more paper than before. The new process uses chemicals that are less harmful to the environment than those used in conventional techniques.
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Beauty spot becoming a dumping ground |
Litter |
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The
Kingdom Tuesday, June 6th, 2000
Indiscriminate dumping has turned one of the county's most unspoiled landscapes into a hazardous tip, according to Scartaglen councilor, Tom Fleming. The area known as The Leaps and Joanie's Glen, between Kilcummin and Currow, has been used as a general dumping area for years, but the problem has intensified to such an extent that it is now a health hazard. Cllr. Fleming has pleaded with Kerry County Council to organise a clean up of the area but his request met with very little success. He was told by officials that the scale of the dumping and the remoteness of the area would not be considered a priority within existing arrangements. Cllr. Fleming argued that the area had become a dangerous eyesore. " I would see this as a dereliction of their duty. They will have to take a more serious approach before the situation worsens even further," Cllr. Fleming stated. "They can't wash their hands of it any further," he warned. illegal dumpsite survey in Sliabh Luachra
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A new programme of measures to tackle the country's litter problem was launched last year. The Litter Pollution Act, 1997, provides local authorities with the powers necessary to tackle litter and requires a new and more structured approach to litter management planning. Increased funding is available to local authorities to fight the litter problem from the significant increase in funding for day to day expenditure available to them in 1999 under the Local Government Fund.
The Department has published a useful information leaflet, Litter and the Law which you can download. Further Information: colm_keenan@environ.irlgov.ie |
Limerick county Council has unanimously passed the Waste Plan for the Limerick, Clare and Kerry region. The Plan proposes drastically cutting dependence on Landfill from over 90 per cent to just 14 per cent with 41 per cent recycling and 45 per cent being thermally treated, generating energy from waste. | Waste
When waste is mentioned, officials often use words like householders, kerbside sorting and garden compost bins. Waste, in other words, is discussed in terms of domesticity. This hides a fundamental truth. Less than a third of municipal waste is currently domestic. The rest is largely commercial- what the dry-cleaner, shoe shops, restaurants builders ..... leave behind. And even that is not the whole story. Municipal waste does not include what is known as industrial waste, namely the by-product of the production process itself.
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Brosna,
Knocknagoshel areas,
Regional Water Supply Scheme are currently under construction and will
be ready for use in 2001.
Brosna is one of the most unsatisfactory schemes, but when the new scheme comes in operation next January it will deal with many of the problems in the Brosna and Knocknagoshel areas. Kerry eye, 22nd June |
The environmental
Protection Agency Report on Quality of drinking water in Ireland states
that because of the widespread incidence of Coliforms, the Kerry public
supplies can only be described as being of moderately good quality
overall.
Noel Dempsy, minister for the environment, promises 35 million pounds for water schemes
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The minister of environment Noel Dempsey promised to eliminate inferior drinking water quality in rural areas. |
Carbon Dioxide Emissions |
Ireland needs to achieve a reduction of 13.1 million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions to meet the national target. The main greenhouse gas in Ireland is Carbon dioxide arising from the burning of fossil fuels in transport, heating and electricity generation. Irish emissions of other greenhouse gases, such as methane and nitrous oxide, are proportionately high, mainly because of agriculture. for more info http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/1102/hom50.htm Only 14% of emissions are from transport, but this is expected to increase. In Ireland at the moment we have 30 cars per 100 people, in Europe it is 50 cars per 100 people, while in Europe there is much more public transport.
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environmental & local government website www.environ.ie |
General categories of Hazardous products |
The Irish Women's Environmental Network has been working away for 10 years, encouraging us all to manage our homes in an environmentally friendly way. In that time, it has introduced many householders to phosphate-free detergents, re-usable nappies and energy-saving tips for the home. IWEN members are available to give talks on sustainable living to community and women's groups on request. IWEN is also participating in the countrywide environmental shopping campaign. Tel: 01-8732660. |
Automotive products
Home improvement products
Pesticides
Household cleaners
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Gasoline, motor oil,
antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, car wax and cleaners, lead acid
batteries, brake fluid, transmission fluid.
Paints, varnish, stain, paint thinner, paint stripper, caulk, adhesives. Insecticide and repellent, weed killer, rat and mouse poison, pat spray and dip, flea collars, mothballs, desinfective, wood preservative. Furniture polish and wax, drain opener, oven cleaner, tub and tile cleaner, toilet cleaner, spot remover, bleach, ammonia.
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