PLANS to make Clonakilty the first town in Ireland to eliminate the use of sachets such as those for ketchup and mayonnaise are gaining momentum, with over 75% of food businesses in the town now on board with the ‘Stop the Sachets’ initiative.
This community-wide initiative started late last year as part of the ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ project and is being spearheaded by TY students from Clonakilty Community College and the Clonakilty Tidy Towns group, ensuring that Clonakilty is once again leading the way when it comes to sustainability.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Clonakilty-based Allison Roberts of Voice Ireland, the environmental charity behind ‘Waste Not, Want Not’, said their end result is to provide a toolkit which they can give to other tidy town groups, showing them easy ways of reducing waste in their towns.
‘‘Stop the Sachets’ emerged from a number of meetings with various stakeholders, with the Tidy Towns group saying they were one of the main items they were picking up on the streets of Clonakilty,’ said Allison.
‘This initiative is based on the Killarney Cup project and we now have 43 businesses on board including cafés, shops, hotels, chippers and restaurants who are no longer using the sachets for ketchup, mayo and vinegar.’ Food businesses are now offering alternative options including dispensers, pump stations, squeezy bottles and ramekins.
‘Out of the 43 food businesses in Clonakilty, 32 are now sachet-free, while another four are in transition, while seven haven’t confirmed if they are definitely on board yet.’
Allison praised the work of the both the TY students and Clonakilty Tidy Towns and said it’s an example of this initiative coming from within the community.
‘They went out and mapped the town and divided into sections and wrote a letter and distributed it to all the food businesses. They then called back to them a few times too to check that they were coming on board.’
The group recently held a meeting to ensure that they can get the initiative over the line, while they also discussed business supports available for transitioning businesses.
‘We are aiming to be almost 90% sachet free by June ahead of the summer season which will be a fantastic feat for Clonakilty. We also want to make sure it sticks and more importantly lasts.’
Meanwhile, the final community gathering and project wrap-up for Waste Not, Want Not Clonakilty will take place on Thursday March 20th in O’Donovan’s Hotel at 7pm.
The team will be showcasing what they have achieved over the past 14 months as well as celebrating successes, looking for feedback and planning next steps for ongoing initiatives.
