The Killarney Park & The Ross Wins Overall 2023 Pakman Award
The Killarney Park & The Ross has been named the winner of the Overall Pakman Award, sponsored by Repak, at the ninth annual Pakman Awards. The grassroots community project was set up this year with the goal of eliminating single-use coffee cups from Killarney town centre. To date the project, which comprises of 25 local independent coffee shops and 21 hotels, has eliminated over 70,000 coffee cups from circulation.
The Pakman Awards are held annually and celebrate Ireland’s recycling and waste management champions who lead the way in their commitments to sustainability and the environment. Winning a Pakman Award is one of the highest accolades an organisation, company, community group or individual can receive for their environmental and waste management efforts.
The 2023 Pakman awards, which took place on the 26th of October at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, saw representatives from leading businesses and community groups come together to recognise excellence in recycling and waste management. All category winners on the night were automatically put forward for the Overall Pakman Award.
About The Killarney Park & The Ross
The Killarney Park & The Ross set up the Killarney Coffee Cup Project, a grassroots community project set up this year to promote a transition to a circular economy by becoming the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups. The town was going through around 23,000 coffee cups per week, which added up to 18.5 tonnes of waste. 46 hospitality businesses stopped offering single use coffee cups which has removed almost 70,000 coffee cups to date. The judges commended The Killarney Park & The Ross for its best-in-class example in grassroots community recycling and its efforts to change attitudes towards single-use items.
Other Pakman Awards Winners
Sian Young from Britvic was announced as the ESG Leader, a new award which recognises individual contributions. Aldi Ireland was announced as the Battery and WEEE Champion, for their work raising awareness and highlighting the importance of recycling batteries and electrical items through internal and external communications. To date, Aldi Ireland has distributed over 200,000 ‘My Battery Boxes’, and customers have returned over 666,924kg of batteries.
Swords Pavilion was awarded the Business Recycling Champion award for its commitment to minimising waste and diverting it from landfill. In 2022, Swords Pavilion diverted 100% of waste from landfill and increased its recycling rates by 26.5%, compared to 2019. Dublin-based Recycle IT won the Community Recycling Initiative for its innovative ways to manage end of life mattresses. It also aims to support paid employment and training opportunities, creating 12 part-time opportunities to date.
The award for Innovation in Waste Resources Products or Service went to Harp Renewables, which blends electrical engineering with proprietary biotech for eco-friendly waste disposal alternatives. Harp Renewables also supported the “Horses of Hope” Equine Centre at Castlerea Prison’s rehabilitation programme, which resulted in the installation of nine Harp Biodigesters within the Irish Prison Service. The project has saved an estimated CO2 savings of 573 tonnes compared to landfill, and 261 tonnes compared to composting.
Our Plastic Pledge Award went to Lidl Ireland for its commitment to the five pledge objectives to reduce plastic, which resulted in the removal of over 15 tonnes of single use plastic. Other winners include Sean McManus Tyres in the Tyre Champion category, Bord na Móna for Waste Recovery Operator (Commercial and Househod), and Refillz Zero Waste in the Waste Prevention category. Limerick Polymers Production, which won the Overall Pakman Award in 2022, was awarded the Waste Recycling and Recovery Facility award this year for its commitment to helping Ireland reach its 2025 recycling targets. You can access a full list of our 2023 winners here.
Speaking at the 2023 Pakman Awards, Séamus Clancy, CEO of Repak said:
“We are delighted to celebrate an extraordinary group of environmental champions at the ninth annual Pakman Awards this evening. Each year, we continue to be inspired by the phenomenal efforts of those making a positive impact in waste management and mitigation procedures. Now, more than ever, it is important to champion sustainability, and tonight, our winners have truly shown us that the future is bright.
This year saw some of the highest quality entries we’ve ever had from companies, businesses, community groups and individuals, reflecting their commitment to help reach our future EU recycling targets and protect our planet for future generations.
The standard of this year’s entries was not only exceptional but serves as inspiration for others in how to deliver exemplary environmental practices. I would like to thank our sponsors, congratulate all the winners and finalists and extend a special congratulations to The Killarney Park & The Ross, the winner of the 2023 Overall Pakman Award.”
Another highlight from this year’s awards saw three charities and community organisations, Naas Lions Club, Laura Lynn Foundation, and Dublin Simon Community receive a €1,000 donation each. Charities were nominated by attendees and pulled from a charity draw on the night.
The 2023 Pakman Awards were proudly sponsored by AMCS, CEWEP, Circol ELT, The Department for Environment, Climate and Communications, Enviroguide Consulting, European Recycling Platform, Environmental Protection Agency, The Irish Management Association, Producer Register Limited, Repak and WEEE Ireland.