Nothing goes to waste as Benny Bin meets competition winners

Two lucky ladies received an early Christmas present when they won the cost of their household waste collection costs for a year.

Michele Dooley, Athlone, and Carol Meally, Mullingar, were presented with their prizes (worth €380 each) just before Christmas .

Five runner-up prizes of €100 were awarded to Rosemarie Elliott, Fergal and Hazel Cox, Paul and Niamh Heduvan, all from Mullingar, Marguerite Finnegan McLoughlin, Castlepollard, and Richard Dolan, Castledaly.

Benny the Brown Bin assisted the cathaoirleach, Cllr John Dolan, to draw the winners.

Cllr Dolan said that the competition, which was run to raise awareness of the brown bin service, “is a great way to make people aware of the brown bin and the advantages of using it - it can save you money because you become more aware of the food you waste, it’s better for the environment because you avoid sending food waste to landfill, where it produces harmful greenhouse gases and it’s brought by the waste collector to a facility where it is used to produce high quality compost – three excellent reasons for using the brown bin”.

Representatives from the waste collection companies operating in the county were present to meet and congratulate the winners.

“This competition is part of the council’s Environmental Awareness Programme and is aimed at raising awareness of the brown bin, the legal obligation for householders to segregate their food waste and the legal obligation for waste collectors to provide the brown bin service in agglomerations with a population of 500 people or more,” said Ruth Maxwell, Environment Department.

“The Environment Department have been liaising with the waste collectors on this promotion and their support for the campaign is appreciated.”

The brown bin is for the collection of food waste and any type of food waste can be placed in it, whether raw or cooked, including meat, poultry, fish and bones.

The bin can be lined with paper or a compostable bag with the EN 13432/seedling logo.

Plastic bags are not to be used in the brown bin as they are made from petrochemical plastics that do not break down in the composting process but contaminate it.

Ciaran Jordan, senior executive engineer, said: “Householders in areas with a population of over 500 must separate food waste so that includes Mullingar, Athlone, Moate, Kinnegad, Rochfortbridge, Killucan – Rathwire, Kilbeggan, Delvin, Clonmellon and Castlepollard.”