WRAPPED in a plastic folder comes news of a new waste management strategy for Cork. And in a glossy newsletter on recycled paper, of course - is contained details of an initiative which could help Cork solve its growing waste problem.
The "20/20 Vision" programme, as the plan is being called, was developed jointly by Cork Co Council and Cork Corporation, based on the principle of reduce, re-use and recycle.
Secondary schools in Cork have become involved in the programme as part of a pilot scheme to raise awareness among young people about a waste situation that is becoming critical.
There are some interesting statistics. As of now, every person in Cork produces about three quarters of a tonne of waste annually.
The joint local authorities believe this figure will rise to 1.5 tonnes per person by the year 2020, necessitating the disposal to landfill sites of 450,000 tonnes of waste each year.
A key element of the strategy seeks to prevent this happening by keeping waste levels at or below their current total. Last week, it was announced that Cork has a particularly good record in glass recycling, with some 12 million bottles and jars collected in the region last year - an increase of 5 per cent over the previous year.
This places Cork second only to Dublin in the national glass recycling table. The target is for an even greater percentage of glass and other items to be recycled, the first issue of the waste management strategy newsletter says.
Twenty years ago, waste policy throughout Cork county was basically a hole in the ground one. A network of dumps served, or blighted, as the case may be, all the larger towns and villages. The strategy now is to avoid a waste mountain in the future by establishing an increased number of "bring" sites for bottles, cans, clothes, etc., and to increase awareness about waste minimisation at the individual level.
Some 300 home composting units have been distributed free to householders in Cork as a pilot scheme. Next September, a travelling road display on waste management will begin to tour the county. It sounds good, but there is a down side.
According to Cork Co Engineer, Mr Brendan Devlin, waste cannot be reduced without incurring costs - if you want a better environment, then you must pay for it. "The cost of treatment and disposal of waste will, in the near future, be significantly more than Irish people have been accustomed to paying so far. In Holland, the payment per household is almost £200 annually."