Bloom gets under way at Dublin's Phoenix Park today
Aengus Cox, RTE Agriculture correspondent, on the opening day of this years Bloom at Dublin's Phoenix Park.
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RTÉ News
29-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Bloom is set to feature a garden of reimagined waste with Repak
Ahead of their appearance at Bord Bia's Bloom, environmental not-for-profit organisation Repak has shared its latest research, revealing that 67% of Irish adults rate their recycling knowledge highly, but there is still room for improvement, as 71% don't know how to recycle bleach bottles correctly. To help close these knowledge gaps, Repak will host a 'Most Sorted Garden' at Bord Bia Bloom in Dublin's Phoenix Park this Thursday - Monday, welcoming thousands of visitors with hands-on tips and practical inspiration for better recycling habits at home and in the garden. Ahead of Ireland's premier garden festival, we spoke to journalist and sustainability advocate Jo Linehan about the festival and ways in which we can make our homes a little more eco-friendly "The festival itself has so many unbelievable sustainability initiatives," Linehan says of Bloom, noting that coffee grounds from the festival will be donated to OPW for fertilising material; reusable cups and glassware will be available to attendees; and multiple public transport options will be available so cars can be avoided. "Repak have designed a beautiful garden," she adds. "Everything in it will be what we, traditionally, would describe as waste items. They've reimagined so many things that we would throw away or recycle, and featured them as beautiful pieces in the garden." As the host of one of Repak's panel discussions, Linehan hopes that the garden will inspire attendees to open their minds to reusing household items. As it stands, three in five (60%) of people surveyed have used empty packaging for gardening purposes, such as starting seeds, as plant pots, for watering or for creating plant labels. "I think people are so innovative," Linehan says of the findings. "The fact that that many gardeners are thinking that way is amazing." Although the enthusiasm to recycle seems to be there, Linehan says that there is often a "knowledge gap" when it comes to organising our bins. According to the research, less than half of adults can correctly identify which bins tinfoil (44%), cosmetic jars (45%) and deodorant cans (50%) should go in, while 71% don't know how to recycle bleach bottles correctly. So, let's get straight to the answers: Tinfoil is recyclable as long as it is clean, dry, and loose. Cosmetic jars are recyclable as long as they are clean, dry and loose. Empty glass jars can be placed in the glass recycling bin, while plastic jars are typically recyclable with other plastics in the green / recycling bin at home. Deodorant cans can not be recycled as they are aerosols. Bleach & household cleaning bottles are recyclable as long as they are clean, dry and loose. This means you should rinse them to remove any residue, ensure they are completely dry, and place them loosely in the bin, without any bags, and with the lid on. As well as hosting a panel discussion featuring Repak Members Ballymaloe Foods, Britvic Ireland, Coca Cola HBC, Homestore and More, Lidl Ireland and Musgrave to explore the future of recycling, Linehan will be speaking across the weekend on topics including sustainable fashion and sustainable beauty. Over the five days of the festival, the journalist hopes to inspire optimistic, creative, and exciting conversations surrounding sustainability in Ireland. "We hear so much about the negatives of what's happening to the environment, but we never really hear about the amazing things," she muses. "It's lovely to shine a light on the things that are really good." When it comes to simple and effective ways to improve household recycling, Jo says to follow these four tips: Print out recycling guides and stick them on the fridge or above the bin. Every household is entitled to a brown compost bin - if you don't have one, get in touch with your bin supplier or apartment management. Add coffee grounds to the plants in your garden. Make a bird feeder from an empty plastic bottle - you can find handy tutorials on YouTube. "It can be a really overwhelming thing to say you're going to be more sustainable," she admits. "It's really difficult to do, so if the only thing you did was up your recycling a bit or get that compost bin and start using it, that would be massive." In fact, according to Repak, if every Bloom visitor decided to recycle one more item per day, it would result in 36.5 million more items diverted from landfill - the equivalent of 28 GAA pitches.
RTÉ News
29-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Bloom gets under way at Dublin's Phoenix Park today
Aengus Cox, RTE Agriculture correspondent, on the opening day of this years Bloom at Dublin's Phoenix Park.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Irish Times
Bloom festival: Putting the finishing touches on show gardens with a message
'At one point, I was 60 stone and I was a lock-in. I was at the worst point in my life,' says Gary Kirwan. The 44-year-old, who is on the autism spectrum, 'didn't go anywhere at the time' but found a 'safe place' in Lego while his mental health was suffering. It was not until his wife, Michelle, convinced him to showcase his Lego work at an exhibition in his native Co Limerick that he got 'back out into the world', he says. 'You couldn't see light at the end of the tunnel at that stage, and it has just turned his life around,' Michelle says. READ MORE Now, seven years later, Mr Kirwan has lost 27 stone and is one of 21 designers who will showcase a garden at Bloom . He has been working 'morning, noon and night' on the project for eight weeks. It features plants, flowers and compost entirely made from Lego. 'I want everyone to look it and be like 'wow' but I really want kids to look at it and think, 'I can make that.'' The gardens on display vary in size and complexity, with some seeking to show apartment inhabitants or downsizers it is possible to create an outdoor haven from a small space. 'You can garden in the tiniest of spaces,' says Cornelia Raftery, who designed The Pink Lady Balcony, a sustainable, bee-friendly balcony garden. 'I've lived in London for most of my life and I was lucky to have a patch out back but I've always gardened.' Garden designer Pip Probert and Tusla foster carer Sandra Wogan in Tusla's Fostering Is For You garden at Bloom. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Other gardens seek to raise awareness or act as tributes, including Tusla's Fostering Is For You garden, designed by Pip Probert . Children and teenagers in foster care, as well as foster carers, have contributed to the design which features a graffiti wall littered with hand prints, surrounded by unmanicured planting of various colours and sizes. The garden pays tribute to the fostering community and aims to entice others to consider joining, with Jacqui Smyth, Tusla's national foster care lead, saying passersby at Bloom in past years have gone on to do so. Joe Eustace, a 23-year-old from Co Kildare who is showcasing at his third Bloom festival, designed The Support Garden on behalf of the Decision Support Service . Mr Eustace sought to create a contemporary, safe and calming environment to encourage conversations surrounding advance planning, which can be an 'intimidating' subject to approach, he says. Advance planning encompasses areas including enduring powers of attorney and healthcare directives. 'Advance planning is an elephant in the room for a lot of people. I built the garden with my dad – he's the main contractor – and it would be a hard conversation to have with him, and a lot of people would be in the same boat,' he says. Martha (5) and Robyn (9) Lyons in the Kerrygold Nature Wrapped in Gold garden designed by Ailish Drake and Conor Hourigan. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times Mr Eustace used planting to create a 'cocoon' to create an intimate one-on-one space, while a metaphor of support is woven throughout via a steel network which overlooks the garden. The steel frames support a floating central fireplace which represents the person at the centre of the conversation, he says. 'They're supported even if they can't support themselves,' he says. Corrugated steel, which represents age, acts as a backdrop, he says. 'It's purposefully at the backdrop because people think advance planning is something that's far away but age is something we need to think about. 'We're all only going in one direction and everyone's going to have to confront it eventually,' he says. Organisers expect more than 100,000 people to attend this year's festival, which runs until Monday. President Michael D Higgins is set to officially open the event on Thursday, making what will be his last speech as the festival's patron, with Bloom insiders expecting him to 'go out with a bang'.
