GLAN Tralee officially launched their partnership with Refill Ireland on Tuesday, in their latest move to make Tralee one of the cleanest and greenest towns in Ireland.

Refill Ireland is a voluntary environmental project leading the way to make Ireland a tap water refilling country once again.

Participating organisations display the Refill Ireland sticker and give free no quibble tap water refills to anyone carrying a reusable water bottle. Glan Tralee will be assisting with the rollout of this simple and effective initiative in Tralee.

Signed-up organisations in Tralee include The Imperial Hotel, Yummy Café and John Doughs with many more locations coming on board in the coming weeks.

Continued below…

Commenting on the partnership, Patricia O’Flynn, from Refill Ireland said; “Tralee is really making a name for itself as a town that is leading the fight against plastic pollution and we’re delighted to partner with Glan Tralee. 2.5 million plastic bottles are still generated every day in Ireland and each bottle takes 450 years to degrade so this is a big challenge that needs to be tackled”.

“We’ve also had great support from Kerry County Council so Tralee is definitely on the right track,” added Patricia.

Glan Tralee is an initiative of the Tralee Chamber Alliance. One of its directors, Brian Stephenson, said; “Glan Tralee is still in its infancy but we have a very passionate and dedicated group of volunteers working tirelessly to make Tralee a very attractive and environmentally sustainable town and partnerships with the likes of Refill Ireland are a key part of our strategy.”

“The EU has committed to spending 25% of its budget on climate action from 2021 to 2027 and that amounts to €320 billion. Striving to make Tralee a green town is therefore an absolute no-brainer and will help us make the case for drawing down significant funds from Europe. Furthermore, people developing green technologies are usually outdoor enthusiasts so they want to live in places like Tralee with the beach and the mountains only minutes away from the town centre. The green economy is a massive opportunity for Tralee and all stakeholders need to work together and embrace it with both hands.”

Refill Ireland have a TAP MAP with over 700 participating locations on their website (www.refill.ie) and are due to release an app soon.

Have a look at the video below for more…

Picture:

Back left to right: Anne-Marie Fuller (Green Party), Sylvia Thompson (Glan Tralee) and Patricia O’Flynn (Refill Ireland).

Front left to right: Orla Falvey, Alva Falvey.