'Sustainable Buzz' the Laois town that's the tidiest in Ireland

A new project is underway in Ireland's Tidiest Town Abbeyleix which is claimed will it's claimed support pollinators and embrace the circular economy.

The winning Abbeyleix Tidy Town committee has not rested on its laurels since winning the national competition in 2023. 

As part of a pilot program, Abbeyleix Tidy Towns has worked with a local contractor to do a late-season "cut and lift" on about four acres across four test sites in the Laois town. 

They explained that much of this late-cut grass was of no forage value for farmers, so they were left with a quandary about what to do with it. They explained that the solution involved innovative thinking and support from Peter Carey and Paddy McMahon, who manage an anaerobic digester in Ballyroan.

They generously arranged to take the grass into the digester plant, where it was transformed into gas, and in turn, used to generate electricity. 

Abbeyleix Tidy Town believes this shows how the circular economy works in real life. They say it highlights a smart way to handle waste and use resources more efficiently. One of the pilot sites covered in this initiative is Balladine Neighbourwood, which includes a sizable area of grassland around newly planted woodland areas. 

"We have shown through our pilot that this approach can work and and also allow us to deliver results at increasing scale," said Chairman of Tidy Towns, Robbie Quinn.

"We would like to acknowledge the support of Community Foundation Ireland in getting this pilot off the ground. However, as a small voluntary community group, we cannot resource this project into the future, so we will be calling on support through local and national agencies."

In doing the work the Tidy Towns Committee say they are following the National Pollinator Plan's advice by letting more grass areas grow to benefit pollinators.

They say that allowing grasses and wildflowers to reach the flowering stage is crucial for supporting pollinators. However, the challenge, they say, lies in cutting and removing (cut and lift) tall grass in the autumn/winter period, especially when it gets too strong for traditional lawnmowers.

Abbeyleix Tidy Towns say they may be able to help anyone who has a garden, smallholding, or area of grassland that you want to turn into a late-cut meadow next year.

For more information about Abbeyleix Tidy Towns and their initiatives, please get in touch at info@abbeyleixtidytowns.net  or visit www.abbeyleixtidytowns.net