Rethink Ireland’s Social Enterprise Funds are currently open for applications, which will provide support to social enterprises across Ireland at all stages in their development.
Rethink Ireland
Learn More
The objective of the SED Fund is to find and back social enterprises that add to the social and economic fabric of their community and make a positive social impact. The SED Fund provides critical support to the most innovative and impactful social enterprises across Ireland, helping to bolster their social impact, increase their traded income, create more jobs and develop long-term, effective and sustainable solutions.
The SED Fund offers cash grants, designated business supports, as well as a place on Ireland’s only National Accelerator Programme specifically designed for social enterprises. The Accelerator Programme is designed to equip social enterprises with the tools and techniques they need to expand their business skills and deepen their impact
Rethink Ireland
Experience
Recycle IT was part of the Social Enterprise Development Fund in 2021 and it was just what our team needed to move forward with our development. Our social enterprise wouldn’t be at a new stage of business development today if it wasn’t for Rethink Ireland’s support and consultancy assistance.
Rethink Ireland helped source specialist advice by finding the right person with the right skills to help our social enterprise think differently and addresses challenges such as strategic planning. Rethink Ireland can support your social enterprise with grants and assistance by sourcing a specialist to address your area of interest.
Apply Today!
To date, Rethink Ireland has provided €9 million in cash grants and business support to over 100 social enterprises in every county of Ireland. The team at Rethink Ireland believe social enterprises can lead the transition to a more inclusive, sustainable and green economy.
You can apply on Rethink Ireland’s website and you too could join the over 100 social enterprises like ours that have benefitted from the funding, Accelerator Programme and consultancy support.
More About Recylce IT
Recycle IT is a Social Enterprise providing employment and training through recycling opportunities. We offer recycling drop off and collection services in Dublin and surrounding areas.
In 2021 our team help recycle 652 tons of waste electrical, electronic equipment and metal. This includes business IT equipment, commercial equipment and domestic household appliances.
Recycle IT worked with individuals, resident associations, charities, schools, government organisations, community groups and businesses to provide safe electrical recycling services to those with differing needs and budgets.
Before buying anything, take a new look into buying secondhand, reusing or upcycling. When it comes to looking for things like clothes, toys, furniture, electronics, bikes, cars and more, many people, unfortunately, tend to buy new.
We can’t say secondhand buying is new. Second-hand buying has existed for hundreds of years across the world and we really need to get back to liking secondhand as it helps with saving money, improving environmental wellbeing, reducing transport and packaging, supporting local businesses, jobs and charities. Choosing reuse or secondhand also allows you access to unique items which may express something special about you!
When you buy new, you are usually choosing from mass-produced products; for instance, the rails and racks full of the same clothes that members of your family and community may already have!
Oxfam Shop – Dublin
Why People Choose New?
Buying secondhand can be more work. Finding the right size, model, colour or size make take more time compared to knowing where to find new things easily. So secondhand can take a little hunting.
There is also the quality expectation with reuse or secondhand. You have to check items work correctly and match your needs.
Used items are not necessarily a better value just because they cost less, just as new items are not always better just because they cost more.
Some consumers are considered insecure about reuse or like to manage their image. They like to buy new products to reduce anxiety, stress or match life expectations.
Secondhand Studies
A number of studies over recent years found that more people are moving to secondhand products when they have a need.
Irish Cancer Society Shop
Research from CCS Insight reveals the refurbished mobile phone market is poised for further growth. The findings showed that 60 per cent of respondents in the UK confirmed they would consider buying refurbished phones and 56 per cent in the US. This is good news!
Research from Refurbed, an online marketplace for refurbished electronic devices in Europe, found 73% of Irish shoppers are willing to buy a refurbished or second-hand laptop, phone or tablet to reduce their environmental impact. Source: Irish Times May 2021.
The Irish Times also reported in Aug 2021 on the unprecedented’ spike in charity shop sales since reopening after the Covid lockdown period. Dermot McGilloway, retail development manager with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, said a “much wider” range of consumers are visiting stores including a greater number of male customers.
Reason to Consider Second Hand / Reuse
Better for the environment
Unique personal and gift items
Usually the purchase supports the work of a charity
Older items often offer higher quality and longer life
Cost effective
Wide selection of items in one place.
Access to brands at lower prices
Promotes a circular ecomony
Oxfam Informational Infographics
Consumer Advice
The Consumers’ Association of Ireland is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, registered with charitable status working on behalf of Irish consumers. They offer the below advice on buying second hand.
When you buy a second-hand good from a business, it must be fit for the purpose for which it was sold and as described to you. In addition, the quality must be of an expected standard according to the price you paid for it. Second-hand goods cannot be expected to be of the same standard as new ones and they may have imperfections or show signs of wear and tear. As a result, they need to be examined carefully before purchase and consumers should ask the retailer to point out any damage. The item should do what it is expected to do and, if it does not, you have the right to return it and request a replacement, repair or refund.
In contrast, when you buy an item from another consumer – either new or second-hand – then you have no consumer rights, as consumer legislation only applies when you are buying from a business. In a private sale, conducted either in person or online, the item merely has to be owned by the seller and fit its description. In this instance, it is a case of buyer beware and it is up to the consumer to check out the item before buying.
Challenges
Buying second hand personal electronic equipment like phones, tablets, laptops and games consoles is a good way to save money and help reduce waste created by upgrades and new product releases. There are plenty of second-hand electronic product available particularly online, but take care in identifying a fully functional device with a good battery life. Ensure items selected are sold through well know, secure website and can be easy return if they don’t match your expectation.
As you may know, many general second-hand shops/charity shops don’t trade in second hand household electrical or electronic items today. There are a number of reasons including a need to test the electrical appliances before resale, insurance costs and consumer safety. If we want to have a circular economy for electrical and electronic equipment in Ireland these challenges and others will need to be addressed.
Recycle IT is an award-winning, not for profit social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin and surrounding areas since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant with WEEE Recycling regulations. You will find permit details available here.
Did you know, drink cans and plastic bottles will soon be returnable for cash as part of a nationwide scheme to reduce litter and increase recycling of metal and plastics for reuse!
Government legislation related to the ‘deposit return scheme’ was published in Nov 2021 and leads the way for the selection of service operators
We are looking forward to this recycling scheme! It brings back memories of collecting glass bottles for a refund many years ago. The bottles were then all reused. Hopefully, this scheme will be user friendly!
Plastic Drinks Bottles
This new initiative is part of Irelands policies on Climate Action and Environment.
The intent of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Ireland is to increase the capture rate of single-use Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and aluminium beverage containers. PET is a clear, strong, and lightweight plastic that is widely used for packaging foods and beverages, especially convenience-sized soft drinks, juices and water.
Read the Press Release Below
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan T.D., has signed the legislative regulations for a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Ireland for plastic bottles and aluminium cans, which will come into force next year.
The Separate Collection (Deposit Return Scheme) Regulations, Statutory Instrument no. 599, provide the framework within which the Minister may approve a scheme operator. The regulations also set out the obligations that will fall to producers, retailers and return point operators under the scheme.
The introduction of a DRS scheme will assist in reducing single-use plastics, help Ireland meet EU targets and promote a wider circular economy.
A DRS is a system used to incentivise consumers to return their empty beverage containers for recycling or reuse. The DRS being introduced in Ireland is focused on plastic bottles and aluminium cans, to ensure that more of these are captured for recycling and to avoid these being discarded as litter.
Drinks Cans
In drafting the regulations, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has worked closely with representatives from the beverage industry who will fund and operate the scheme. A commitment to establish a DRS was part of the Programme for Government and the timeline for its establishment was set out in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, published in September 2020.
The next step is the appointment, by the Minister, of an approved body to operate the scheme. Further engagement is also required with stakeholders, to fix the rate of the deposit to be paid on in-scope bottles and cans.
The scheme is expected to become operational across the country in Quarter 3 of 2022.
About Recycle IT
Recycle IT is an award-winning, not for profit social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant for WEEE Recycling with permit details available here.
For many years in Ireland and across Europe saving money and spending less was one of the main reasons for reuse. Reuse not only saved money it saved, time, energy, space and helped transfer skills to younger members of families and the community.
Reuse really limits the need to source and use new materials and natural resources, such as wood, oil, ore fibres and more!
It is always best to reduce first, then reuse and as a last resort, recycle. Reuse is distinct from recycling as items are diverted from waste for reuse. Reuse can include the product current use or new use.
In the developing world, it’s still the case and leads to very high levels of reuse. In Ireland as in other developed countries rising wages and greater consumer purchasing power has increased demand for convenience products.
Fabric Resue 2022 by Ava aged 9
Sometimes needs drive reuse with socks and other cloth items now reshaped and reused as face masks to protect against the spread of COVID. 19. People are reusing cups and mugs over and over again rather than paper cups. Glass jam and preserve jars and old coffee containers make great storage for bulk food items items like rice, pulses and dry beans. They an also be used as desk organizers or art supply containers. There is no limited to reuse!
47 Tips to Help!
Use rechargeable batteries, toys, and gadgets to avoid single-use batteries.
Redecorating, consider painting the kitchen and furniture for reuse.
Create reusable lunch boxes or storage containers from large plastic ice cream tubs.
Replacing an old bike, offer it for reuse to schools, colleges, or charities.
After a picnic or BBQ, wash and save plastic knives, forks, and spoons then store for your next outdoor event.
Reuse large plastic milk container to water garden plants rather than a hose: pierce small holes in the top side of the container and fill with water for slow, steady, and simple watering.
Harvest seeds from fruit and vegetables and try to grow them!
Use paper egg cartons or toilet paper tubes (both are biodegradable) to start growing seeds into plants. They can be dropped right into the soil once strong enough.
Turn toilet rolls or paper towel tubes into playthings for children or nesting materials for your small pets.
Create egg carton crafts or offer egg cartons for reuse by local egg producers.
Store printed pictures and photos in poly pockets to reduce the ageing effects from humidity, damp and light.
Use old wine corks to create a floating key ring; your keys won’t sinking while at the pool, beach, or lake.
Use a 2-litre plastic bottle to create a bird feeder.
Used cold bacon fat in a tuna or cat food tin to feed you, feathered friends, just hang from a tree or post in the garden.
Put old newspaper under a tablecloth to offer protection against spills.
Clean your window on Monday with Sundays newspapers (instead of paper towel)
Place an open jar or bowl of dried, used coffee grounds in your refrigerator or freezer to neutralize odours.
Keep a jar of dried, used coffee grounds to use with washing up liquid. It acts as a scouring agent for baked-on food
Placed used coffee grounds in a ring around garden plants to keep bugs and slugs away.
Refresh your eyes fresh with chilled and dampened tea bags taken from the fridge.
Cut old bike tire tubes tube into strips to make rubber bands in custom sizes.
Cut or shred paper or thin card into eco-friendly packing material for presents or parcels.
As kids outgrow colouring pencils, pens and art supplies try donating them to your local school.
Empty bottles, sweet boxes and biscuit tins can be used as small screw holders, toolboxes, sewing kit or cake holders.
Collect old soap ends into stocking leg and keep by an outdoor tap, ensuring you have hand wash for outside use.
Cut up old t-shirts and use them to clean up messy spills around the house and in the garage.
Used an old adult t-shirt as painting overalls for your kids – saves washing clothes.
Old tights and t-shirts make great rags for cleaning, dusting, and shining
Old tights can be reused as sleeves for storing posters, wallpaper rolls, wrapping paper or anything else that needs to stay rolled up.
Cut the legs of old jeans to make super cool shorts for summer.
Use banana peels to shine your shoes. Rub the inside of the peel on shoes, then shine with a soft cloth.
Turn bread heals into breadcrumbs once dried out. Just blitz.
Use the peels of juiced lemons and limes to make zest and twists, which can be dried or frozen for later use.
Use juiced citrus fruit halves sprinkled with salt to clean stainless steel and other metal fixtures.
Add a piece of orange peel to brown sugar to ensure it stays soft.
Unravel woollen jumpers and knit something new for you!
Reused material from 3 or 4 broken umbrellas to assemble a retro-style rain poncho.
Jars can be cleaned and used to store homemade jams, preserves or even as a desk organizer for pens, paper clips or pencils.
Save old toothbrushes to scrub hard to reach places, like grout, sinks or behind water taps.
Collect broken china to re-tile outdoor tables, flowerpots, or paths.
Hang old clothes drawers or washing machine drums on the wall to create shelves or used them as storage boxes.
Food tins and plastic fruit containers can be reused for the planting and growing flower and herbs.
Reuse water from washing and/or cooking vegetables to water plants internally and externally.
Create artwork at home or ask a friend to help. Canvases can be reused!
Separate and store pens, pencils, markers, and paints used for drawing to aid reuse and longer life.
Old or unused shaving or makeup bags can be reused as a sturdy pen, pencil, and marker bags for children (allows kids to keep their drawing stuff all in one place!).
Home Art by Ava aged 9 – 2022
About Recycle IT
Recycle IT is an award-winning, not for profit social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant for WEEE Recycling with permit details available here.
COP26 is the 2021 United Nations climate change conference. This was the 26th annual summit – giving it the name COP26. The UK was President for COP26 which was in Glasgow between Oct 31st, 2021 and Nov 12th, 2021
For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that time climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority.
COP26 Conference
COP21 – Paris 2015.
For the first time ever, something momentous happened: every country agreed to work together to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees and aim for 1.5 degrees, to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate and to make money available to deliver on these aims.
The Paris Agreement was born. The commitment to aim for 1.5 degrees is important because every fraction of a degree of warming will result in the loss of many more lives lost and livelihoods damaged.
Under the Paris Agreement, countries committed to bringing forward national plans setting out how much they would reduce their emissions – known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or ‘NDCs’.
They agreed that every five years they would come back with an updated plan that would reflect their highest possible ambition at that time.
COP26 Photo
Whats expected
As World leaders gathered in Glasgow to address climate, delegates are being asked to accelerate action on climate change and commit to more ambitious cuts in their countries’ emissions, all in an effort to limit global temperature rises. Did they?
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change has said “the devastating loss of lives and livelihoods this year due to extreme weather events clarifies how important it is to convene COP26 despite the impacts of the pandemic still being felt. We are on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7C, while we should be heading for the 1.5C goal. Clearly, we are in a climate emergency. Clearly, we need to address it. Clearly, we need to support the most vulnerable to cope. To do so successfully, greater ambition is now critical,
Leaders and delegates need to demonstrate greater ambition to achieve progress on all elements of the climate change agenda, including reducing emissions, addressing loss and damage from extreme climatic events and increasing the provision of support to developing countries. Did they?
Background
With 197 Parties engaged, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near-universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame that allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.
COP26 Photo
COP26 Explained
International climate summits are complex. The United Kingdom COP26 team, want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to understand what COP26 is and what the team is working to achieve.
These are a few helpful sources of information to get you started:
A Taoiseach Michéal Martin attended the World Leaders’ Summit on 1st and 2nd November, whilst Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food Charlie McConalogue, is expected to attend COP26 later in the week.
Minister for the Environment Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan and a delegation arrived at COP26 on 8th November. Ireland to co-host four events including Public Engagement and Renewable Energy’ and European Peatlands Initiative’ at the Peatlands Pavilion.
Experts from environmental interest groups and government entities, including Met Eireann, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) also attended COP26 in Glasgow over the 2 weeks.
The following organisations are planning to visit or partake in Cop26:
An Taisce.
IEN (Irish Environmental Network).
Christian Aid.
Student Climate Action Network.
Trocaire.
Oxfam.
Friends of the Earth.
Macra na Feirme.
NYCI (National Youth Council of Ireland).
ECO-UNESCO (working to conserve the environment and empower young people).
To learn more and keep up to date on COP26 click here.
Attendance Farewell
Outcomes
The outcome document, known as the Glasgow Climate Pact, calls on 197 countries to report their progress towards more climate ambition next year, at COP27, set to take place in Egypt.
Beyond the political negotiations and the Leaders’ Summit, COP26 brought together about 50,000 participants online and in-person to share innovative ideas, solutions, attend cultural events and build partnerships and coalitions.
Outcomes of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference can be found here in advance unedited versions (AUVs).
About Recycle IT
Recycle IT is an award-winning, not for profit social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant for WEEE Recycling with permit details available here.
Recycle IT 