A tax on packaging and refunds for glass and plastic bottles and aluminium and tin cans returned: these two simple measures would go some distance towards recovering and reducing a sizeable proportion of our recyclable waste, which is currently dumped in landfill sites.
We need better awareness and recycling facilities, said architect and broadcaster, Duncan Stewart, in the first of the new series, The State We're In, shown on RTÉ 1 at 7 p.m. last night. In this excellent programme, Stewart spoke to environmental officers in county councils (well done, Navan, Co Meath, for accepting such a wide range of recyclables at the Bring Centre there), recycling businesses and environmental journalists. The ideas are not new but the waste crisis in Ireland is becoming so serious that action on recycling needs to be taken now. Future programmes will examine problems of one- off houses in rural settings, environmental issues in the Shannon River and the contribution made by our homes to global warming. Don't miss The State We're In (RTÉ 1, Fridays, 7 p.m.) for the next six weeks.
- THE casual appropriation of countryside through unchecked suburban sprawl is challenged in the current exhibition at the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, says Peter Tansey, the project co-ordinator of the Dublin Bay Research Project. Carried out by UCD and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the Irish-Dutch collaboration focuses on the potential of the bay to provide for some of Dublin's current and future urban needs. The exhibition continues at the RIAI, 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, until March 29th. Tel: 01-6761703. E-mail: info@riai.ie
- Congratulations to Lyons Demesne, Co Kildare; Leinster House, Dublin; and Kylemore Abbey, Co Galway. They will be awarded a Europa Nostra heritage award this morning in Christiansborg, Copenhagen, Denmark. The awards are among 36 projects from 18 European countries selected because their comprehensive restoration and conservation has been rated of international significance. Number 10 Henrietta Street, Dublin, has also been awarded a restoration fund grant from Europa Nostra for the restoration of the decorative rococo ceiling on the first floor, dating from the mid-18th century. Europa Nostra is a European federation of non-profit heritage organisations.
- The birdwatching courses based at Cape Clear Bird Observatory, Co Cork, run by Bird Watch Ireland, are starting early this year. The resident island ecologist, Geoff Oliver, will observe and discuss the arrival of spring migrants from March 29th to April 1st. Other courses over the following months include Nature Photography (June 9th to 14th and September 8th to 13th); the Ecology of Cape Clear (June 21st to 26th and June 30th to July 5th); and Bird Identification and Observation Skills (May 5th to 10th and August 25th to 30th). Send an SAE to Faith Wilson at Birdwatch Ireland, 8 Longford Place, Monkstown, Co Dublin, for more details.
WEB WORLD
www.the-environment-council.org.uk
Those involved in setting up the new waste management and recycling initiatives "launched" by the Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey, last week may like to check out some of the projects of this independent British charity. These include a sustainable waste management plan for London, a business strategy for a furniture recycling network and plans for recycling waste tyres.
horizons@irish-times.ie