Sports clubs across Galway city availed of the more than 400 reusable and recyclable drink bottles provided by the Mayor of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard, and the Galway City Council.
Last Saturday Mayor Cubbard delivered bottles to Merlin Woods FC, Galway Hibernians FC, West United FC, Galway Bohemians FC, Fr Griffins/Éire Óg GAA club, Castlegar Camogie, Castlegar Athletics, The Hession School of Dance, and the second class in Claddagh National School. A number of young boxers in Ballybane also received their bottle.
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"This week saw the arrival of the bottles and within an hour of an online call for clubs to sign up for some, all 400+ were gone," said Mayor Cubbard. "As a pilot scheme this has been a huge success."
The change from using single use plastics to recyclable plastics has been a goal of Mayor Cubbard since his election to the position in 2019.
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"I want to try and bring about a change of mindset with children in terms of single use plastic bottles," he said. "As a sports coach for a number of years I have seen time and time again the excess amount of plastic bottles thrown on pitches, parks, playgrounds and beaches."
In November 2019, Mayor Cubbard secured funding in the 2020 City Council budget to provide for some bottles on a pilot basis. He has now requested more such bottles given the positive uptake which greeted the pilot scheme.