Fingal County

Fingal County, Ireland

Fingal County Council is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland, serving a population of c. 330,000 in rural, coastal, urban and suburban communities. Fingal is a great place to live, work, visit and do business, with pristine beaches, fascinating heritage and vibrant urban centres.  Fingal County Council is fully committed to delivering services to communities in the best and most sustainable way possible. The County Council is proud to be part of the Circular Cities Declaration network and looks forward to collaborating with other cities and regions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

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Strategies and action plans

Fingal County Council aims to become a leader in promoting circular economy principles and practices in its region. So far, the County Council has adopted the following strategies and action plans:

  • Implemented the Fingal Circular Procurement Strategy, which aims to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions by integrating circular criteria into all public procurement processes.
  • Adopted and implemented in 2019 Fingal’s Climate Change Action Plan, which contains 133 actions that are on-going or planned within the Council. The plan sets out how the Council will cut half of the county’s emissions by 2030, and in doing so help Ireland to reach ‘net zero’ status no later than 2050. In 2023 Fingal will seek to increase the level of ambition in its Climate Change Action Plan and align with the actions and targets in the National Climate Action Plan 2023.
  • Resource Management is a key theme of Fingal’s Climate Change Action Plan and Fingal has implemented a range of actions aligned with the National Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy and the Waste Management Plan for the Eastern-Midlands Region, including actions to build capacity for citizens, schools and businesses in Fingal.
  • Adopted and implemented Fingal’s Active Travel Strategy, which aims to build active travel into everyday life as part of normal daily routines. The strategy details ambitions to increase the number of people choosing active travel for everyday short journeys and sets out a wide array of infrastructure and initiatives designed to support that goal. 

Stakeholder engagement

Fingal is commited to engaging numerous stakeholders as part of its circular transition:

  • Implemented the Fingal Circular Economy Hub, a collaborative platform for businesses, academia, public sector and civil society to share knowledge, resources and opportunities for circular innovation.
  • Supported the development of circular businesses and social enterprises through the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, which provides funding, mentoring and training for entrepreneurs who want to create positive social and environmental impact.
  • Launched the Sustainable Fingal Initiative, which aims to encourage SMEs across Fingal to embrace sustainable measures in their businesses, with a series of practical tools and resources to help them. The initiative focuses on four key areas: energy, water, waste and transport. It also provides case studies, podcasts and a competition for local businesses to showcase their sustainability achievements.
  • Engaged with citizens and schools to raise awareness and foster behaviour change towards circular consumption and production patterns, through initiatives such as the Fingal Sports World Cup Activity Book, the Fingal Repair Cafés and the Fingal Green Schools Programme.
  • Participated in the Bloom 2023 festival, where it showcased its remarkable show garden, “A Breathing Space for Fingal”, which demonstrates how circular design can create beautiful and resilient urban spaces.