Fantastic Turn Out For The 15th Anniversary Of The Pure Mile Awards
The 15th Anniversary and celebration of the 2024 Pure Mile Awards was held in the Brooklodge Hotel in Macreddin, Aughrim, on Thursday 17th of October to celebrate the hard work and achievements of all the Pure Mile Volunteers in Cleaning Up The Wicklow/Dublin Uplands.
The Pure Mile is an environmental, community, heritage initiative, established by Pure, which encourages communities and groups living in rural areas to adopt a mile, or miles, of road, and keep this area litter/rubbish free, research information about their local wildflowers, plants, trees, animals, and the built, cultural, and social heritage of an area.
The Pure Mile is an environmental, community, heritage initiative, established by Pure, which encourages communities and groups living in rural areas of Wicklow, South Dublin and Dun-Laoghaire, to adopt a mile of road, or miles of road, in their local area, or in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands and organise litter picks, clean-ups, anti-dumping campaigns, research information about their local wildflowers, plants, trees, animals, and the built, cultural, and social heritage of an area. The awards night is an opportunity for all of the Pure Mile Groups to meet up in one room, for one night and one night only, and celebrate all of their hard work and achievements in Cleaning Up The Wicklow/Dublin Uplands, and for Pure to thank them all.
The Pure Mile was launched in 2009 and since then over 450 communities and groups have registered with the initiative. Starting with 5 areas back in 2009 Pure now have individuals, groups, walking groups, hiking groups, cycling groups, running groups, scouts, beavers, cubs, schools, businesses and organisations, from all over Wicklow, South Dublin, and Dun-Laoghaire. Since the Pure Mile was initiated, Pure Mile Volunteers have collectively improved and enhanced over 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometres) of road, mountains, woodlands, valleys, forestries, upland amenity areas, car parks, pull-ins, and even some coastal areas. Over the last fifteen years, Pure Mile Volunteers have organised thousands of litter picks and clean-ups resulting in the removal of tonnes of bags of litter and rubbish from the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands.
Additional projects have included clean-up the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands, anti-dumping campaigns, natural heritage, biodiversity, sustainability, built/social/cultural heritage, community and educations projects. The Pure Mile demonstrates that people want to make a difference and want to preserve our environment, and Pure gives them the assistance so they can make that difference.
Pure Mile Groups range from all over Wicklow, South Dublin and Dun-Laoghaire and on the night of the awards, each one received a Pure Mile Certificate of Participation, native Irish trees, and all will be included in the popular Pure Mile Calendar, which was also launched on the night. There were a number of Certificates of Recognition presented on the night with cash prizes reaching over €6,000 distributed to groups which will further assist them in their local projects to improve and enhance the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said:
“I’m delighted to be part of the Pure Mile Awards this year and to congratulate the participants from Wicklow and South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire. It is great to meet the fantastic volunteers who have gone above and beyond with their efforts and dedication to cleaning our roads, fields, hedgerows, and uplands. Their efforts are making a meaningful difference, not just to the environment but also to the public health for all of us, as clean environments ensure less issues relating to pollution and public health. I also want to commend all who have been involved in Pure Mile for 15 years, and the growth from a starting point of just 5 areas to 1,000 areas in 2024. I cannot praise the team behind the project and the thousands of Pure Mile Volunteers enough for what they have done. The result is we can all embrace the beauty of our countryside and I’d encourage everyone to venture out to enjoy our mountains, lakes, and beaches, and for more of us to take up the challenge and protect our natural treasures.’”.
The Pure Mile is the perfect opportunity for communities and groups who want to make a positive contribution to their locality and environment, and assists people in improving and enhancing the place they live in, or recreate in. Special interest groups such as, walking groups, cycling groups, scout groups, businesses, and organisations, adopt a mile, or miles of road, in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands and help Pure to Clean Up The Uplands. Pure provide all groups with Pure Mile signage, Pure Mile high-vis vests, Pure Mile bags, gloves, and litter pickers and Pure also removes all of the rubbish collected by the groups.
Ian Davis, Pure Manager commented on the success and growth of the Pure Mile,
‘The Pure Mile has grown every year, and we now have thousands of volunteers involved. Over the years the Pure Mile Volunteers have removed tonnes of litter and rubbish from upland roads, verges, hedges, and drains, and they have made a huge difference to the areas they live in, or recreate in. All of the Pure Mile Volunteers have a shared objective, a common cause, a common goal, a common focus – committed volunteers working together to improve and enhance the Wicklow/Dublin uplands. I would like to thank and congratulate all of the Pure Mile Volunteers this year and for the past 15 years for their dedication and commitment in Cleaning Up The Wicklow/Dublin Uplands.’
Pure was launched in 2006 and since that date it has proven extremely successful, in both reducing illegal dumping, and engaging with all demographics in society. It’s the first project of its kind in Ireland involving a multi stakeholder approach collaboration with, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Wicklow County Council, South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Coillte, National Parks & Wildlife Service, and the Wicklow Uplands Council.
Pure has made huge progress in reducing illegal dumping in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands. If you compare the amount of dumping collected by Pure in 2023, which was 120 tonnes of waste, to 2008 which was the environmental initiatives busiest year, when they removed 440 tonnes, Pure has seen a 72% reduction in illegal dumping in Wicklow/Dublin Uplands.
The Pure Truck is on the road every day, and since Pure was established in 2006, it has removed over 3,950,000kg (3,950 tonnes) of rubbish from over 14,800 illegal dumping sites in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands, with the project processing over 15,900 reports/complaints. If you were to put all the rubbish that Pure has removed from the uplands into standard household rubbish bags, they would fill over 790,000 bags. If you lined up all these bags on the road, they would stretch all the way from Dublin Airport to Mizen Head in Cork, and back again.
The Pure Partnership approach, incorporating statutory, non-statutory organisations, and members of the public, has proven extremely successful in combating illegal dumping in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands and over the past five years Pure have recorded an annual reduction in illegal dumping activity. This reduction in dumping coincides with the huge increase of Pure Mile groups and areas, with hundreds of miles of roads, mountains, woodlands, valleys, forestries, upland amenities, car parks, and beaches, currently being adopted.
If any groups, communities, individuals, schools, walking groups, cycling groups, scouts, businesses, anyone, want to get involved in Pure Mile, they can contact Pure at info@pureproject.ie or download an application from www.pureproject.ie/what-we-do/the-pure-mile/. You can also write to; Pure Project, Unit 6 B, Riverside Business Centre, Tinahely, Co Wicklow, Y14 R978, and they will post out all the information, or request an application form and information pack by phoning Pure on 0402 28662.