Yes we ‘can’ says Fota

Fota Wildlife Park is getting that extra bit greener.

The popular East Cork attraction announced this week that it has partnered with Every Can Counts to help promote the recycling of aluminium drink cans.

Every Can Counts has donated several recycling bins to Fota Wildlife Park, who has begun phasing out the sale of fizzy drinks in plastic bottles in favour or recyclable aluminium canned drinks in its gift shop and ice cream kiosk.

Every Can Counts has donated green branded bins which are located close to the outlets selling the drinks cans within the Wildlife Park - by the meerkat enclosure by the main entrance and in the food stall area in the Asian Sanctuary. Fota Wildlife Park has introduced this new initiative with the aim of further reducing, reusing and recycling waste being produced in the park.

Lynda McSweeney, Head of Education at Fota said: “Fota Wildlife Park welcomes the collaboration with Every Can Counts which will further enhance our commitment to environmental sustainability. We believe that protecting the environment and promoting sustainability compliments our conservation objectives. As a conservation organisation, we are in a position to encourage environmental stewardship with the aim of inspiring our visitors to become proactive in helping to conserve wildlife and the natural world.”

Since 2012 Fota has being operating a Going Green programme which has led to an increase in the park’s recycling rate from 21 to 62 per cent, deploying systems for composting food waste generated onsite from cafes, restaurants and animal food prep areas, as well as integrated sustainability elements such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels, incorporating hydrothermal heating and geothermal heating into existing systems and a wood boiler into buildings on the site.

Róisín O’Brien, Programme Manager of Every Can Counts said: “We are delighted to supply receptacles for the collection of drink cans, the world’s most recycled beverage packaging. It’s great to see Fota not only provide facilities so their visitors can do the right thing with their cans, but also to take an active role in education - passing on the important messages that recycling cans saves energy and that metal recycles forever.”