Community Updates New circular updates
€29 million available for circular projects
Are you mending bicycles, helping people waste less food or finding other ways to reuse or repair items? A major fund of more than €29 million is now available for circular projects all across Ireland.
Are you mending bicycles, helping people waste less food or finding other ways to reuse or repair items? A major fund of more than €29 million is now available for circular projects all across Ireland.
This new fund is targeting initiatives nationwide, “from community repair hubs and reuse centres to innovative business projects that cut waste and make better use of materials.”
It is there to finance greater opportunities for people to repair items instead of throwing them away, provide more affordable second-hand goods, and create more local jobs in areas such as repair, refurbishment, and sustainable manufacturing. Essentially, it is there to support our shift to a more circular economy.
What do we mean by circular? Simply put, being circular means minimising the amount of things we put to waste, by reducing our consumption, re-using things and repairing what breaks. If we all take small steps they’ll add up to big positive change.
"This [...] investment is about making the circular economy real for people in their everyday lives - whether that’s being able to repair a bike, buy a refurbished appliance, or see less waste in their community,” says Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment Alan Dillon.
“We are supporting practical projects in every part of the country that will help households save money, reduce waste, and create jobs locally.”
Minister Dillon highlighted four areas of focus for this fund:
Community reuse and repair initiatives – helping people fix and reuse items like bikes, furniture, and electrical goods
Local clean-up and anti-dumping projects – improving neighbourhoods and tackling illegal dumping
Food waste reduction programmes – helping households and businesses waste less food
Business innovation – supporting Irish companies to design products that last longer and use fewer raw materials
"People want practical solutions that make a difference in their daily lives. This fund is about supporting those solutions - whether that’s a local repair service, a reuse centre, or a business finding smarter ways to use materials. By working with communities and businesses, we can reduce waste, support local jobs, and build a more sustainable future for every region."
The funding comes on the back of the Government’s new strategy to reduce waste, protect resources and move towards a more circular Ireland was launched recently, but what does this mean for you?
We’ve broken it down into three key ways it could benefit your everyday life.