Limerick students lead talks on sewage litter solutions as part of national campaign

A NATIONAL campaign group, featuring some local students, gathered in Limerick for a sewage-related litter-focussed discussion.

Several Munster and Connacht-based schools gathered at the Savoy Hotel in Limerick to discuss the environmental issue of sewage as part of the Think Before You Flush campaign, operated by Clean Coasts, in partnership with Uisce Éireann.

The students, hailing from Coláiste Chiraían and Mungret Community College, as well as others from Tipperary, Kerry and Mayo, are part of the Green Schools Water Ambassador programme. 

Their role as ambassadors is to help spread the Think Before You Flush message throughout their school and community.

The programme also encourages students to undertake actions in their local area like litter picks, promoting re-usable items and recycling, assessing water quality, creating ponds and much more.

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Speaking about the evening of November 7 when the groups gathered in the Savoy Hotel in Limerick, Ollie O’Flaherty from Clean Coasts said: “We were delighted to be involved with the Water Ambassador Training and we would like to thank Green Schools for inviting us to be part of this event. 

“It was a great opportunity to engage with the students about the Think Before You Flush and Think Before You Pour campaigns and the importance of making responsible decisions in the bathroom and kitchen.”

Uisce Éireann’s head of wastewater operations, Nuala Woods said that the workshops are “crucially important to enhance awareness about the need to protect our precious environment”. 

“We know from our research that attitudes and flushing behaviours are changing for the better, but there is still work to do,” she said. 

“Almost a million people nationally are still using the toilet as a bin. We are asking people to always ‘Think Before You Flush’ and take a simple action such as putting a bin in the bathroom.  Small changes in flushing habits will go a long way in protecting our precious environment.”  

The Think Before You Flush campaign emphasises the importance of appropriate flushing behaviour and disposal of items, including wipes and other sanitary products in the bin, even if they are labelled as flushable.