Fermanagh and Omagh District Council encourages residents to #DoOneThingDifferently for European Week for Waste Reduction 2020

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council encourages residents to #DoOneThingDifferently for European Week for Waste Reduction 2020

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is once again delighted to support European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), which this year runs from Saturday 21 November to Sunday 29 November 2020.

European Week of Waste Reduction, aims to encourage householders, businesses, schools and organisations to take positive action on reducing their waste.

By making simple everyday changes, residents can make a big difference to our environment. “Invisible Waste” is one of the main themes right across Europe this year and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is encouraging everyone to think about the invisible waste generated during the manufacture of the products. The waste we all unconsciously produce. It is not always what is visible that has the biggest impact. A good example of “invisible waste” can be found in a mobile phone. Weighing around 200 grams, when packaging, transport and energy consumed in charging batteries are taken into account, an unbelievable 86 kilograms of waste are produced?

Speaking about European Week of Waste Reduction, Council Chairman, Chris Smyth said;

“We all have a role to play to ensure that by making small changes to our thinking, by doing one thing differently, we can reduce, reuse, recycle or repair to ensure that the level of waste going to landfill can be significantly reduced.

“Those simple changes can make such a big difference to our environment and reduce our carbon footprint. Less waste going to landfill means less greenhouse gases and contributes positively to effecting climate change. We can all do our bit and commit to one action to reduce our waste during the week. Lets all commit to doing one thing differently during European Week of Waste Reduction and turn it into a long term commitment. You can really make a difference!”

There are many simple approaches which can be adopted to help reduce the amount of waste we generate and which goes to landfill for example buying reusable masks, refill coffee cups and water bottles, reduce reliance on single use plastics such as straws, plastic cutlery and plastic bags, growing your own food and composting food waste.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has been participating in European Week of Waste Reduction for the past few years and views the week as a positive way to raise awareness of the need to improve how we view recycling by encouraging residents to think about the items they purchase and the cost of the associated waste produced.

For further information visit https://ewwr.eu/ or contact the Council’s Recycling Officer, Waste and Recycling, by telephone on 0300 303 1777

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Launched in 2009, the EWWR has always focused on raising awareness on waste prevention, the highest priority stated in the European waste management hierarchy. Over the 11 editions, EWWR has seen a growing success and created a network of public and private actors actively involved in the field of waste prevention. Not only associations, public authorities, educational establishments and businesses, but also individual citizens, will implement actions during the EWWR: this shows the increasing interest in how to reduce the amount of waste we put in garbage bins every day.