Environmental Management: Legislation & Best Practice

Environmental management has a raft of legislation associated with it covering air emissions water, waste water, integrated pollution control now known as industrial emissions. Environmental management has significant implications for business in terms of legal compliance, cost and technical measures to be implemented. How you address environmental management can have a significant bearing on your business and profitability. There are...

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Dispose of your waste legally: Your Obligations

If your business produces a waste you have an obligation to dispose of it in a legal manner. There are two keys things all businesses need to be aware of.  Waste is your responsibility until it reaches its final destination.  When it leaves your site it must be transported by a suitably licensed waste collection company. Not...

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Is your Waste Collection Permit up for renewal?

A waste collection permit is required where a person wishes to collect waste for the purposes of reward or profit.  In accordance with Section 24(1) of the Waste Management ( Collection Permit) Regulations 2007 & 2008, a waste collection permit is valid for 5 years from the day it was granted.  It is important for permit...

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Environmental Impact Assessment Explained

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the measurement of the anticipated effects of a proposed project or development on the environment. The purpose of the EIA process is to ensure that: All projects that are likely to have a significant impact on the environment are assessed. People are fully aware of the likely effects of the...

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What is involved with an Appropriate Assessment?

An Appropriate Assessment involves a case by case examination of the implications of a development or activity for a Natura 2000 site and its conservation objectives. The EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) placed an obligation on Member States of the EU to establish the Natura 2000 Network.  The Natura 2000 Network is a network of important...

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World’s plastic binge ‘as dangerous as climate change’

A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute and the number will jump another 20% by 2021 creating an environmental crisis some campaigners predict will be as serious as climate change. The demand, equivalent to about 20,000 bottles being bought every second, is driven by an apparently insatiable desire for bottled water...

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Co-Innovate: Free innovation workshops for SMEs

Co-Innovate is a new programme supported by the European Union’s INTERREG programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. It is aimed at small and medium sized businesses interested in cross-border research and innovation in Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland. The programme of support will include: innovation workshops business health check...

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ENHANCE Project supports and nurtures the circular economy

On February 7th and 8th 2017, the 6 partners of the Interreg Europe project ENHANCE (EMAS as a Nest to Help And Nurture the Circular Economy) celebrated the first Project Meeting at the offices of the Catalan Ministry of Territory and Sustainability located in Barcelona.  ENHANCE aims to improve the implementation of regional policy instruments...

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UL scientist given €1.5m for clean energy research

A University of Limerick (UL) researcher has been given €1.5m for pioneering work on generating clean energy through photosynthesis – the only Irish scientist granted by the European Research Council (ERC) in the physical science field this year. Electrochemist and lecturer Dr Micheál Scanlon is one of only three Irish-based researchers overall to be awarded...

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Waste-to-energy systems firm on way to becoming market leaders

BHSL was born out of necessity.  Jack O’Connor had a 25,000-bird poultry shed on the family farm and was told by Limerick Country Council in 1998 that pollution from spreading the chicken manure on land meant the practice was to be banned.   With business potentially doomed, Jack put his engineering experience to work and developed...

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