Pupils from St Mary's Boys National School in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick, have planted native trees alongside Uisce Éireann at Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Members of Uisce Éireann's South West Region Biodiversity Forum, staff from Green Belt Forestry, and Limerick City & County Council, met the 4th and 5th class pupils at the treatment plant last week to plant 20 trees in time for Christmas.

The pupils learned about how wastewater is treated and safely returned into the River Deel, and about the Alder, Oak, Birch and Hazel trees that would soon be thriving in the area.

A plaque was revealed near the boundary area of the treatment plant to mark the occasion.

Over the coming months Uisce Éireann aims to plant 6,000 native trees at Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant with aims of it becoming a wild and wonderful habitat for Jay Birds and Red Squirrels.

Chair of Uisce Éireann’s South West Region Biodiversity Forum, Anna Brosnan, said:

"There are smiles all round today. The boys from 4th and 5th class of St Mary’s in Abbeyfeale have been great today and we have all enjoyed their visit to Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant. For children as young as them, it is inspiring to see how knowledgeable they are about biodiversity.

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"Trees are the lungs of our planet and without them, we wouldn’t survive. Uisce Éireann treats around 1.7 billion litres of clean drinking water across the country and returns around 1.6 billion litres of treated wastewater safely to the environment every day. This means our sites cross a range of natural habitats and we are delighted when we can expand these habitats further by planting more trees for example.

"By planting 6,000 native trees and putting a stop to the regular mowing of the grass at the treatment plant, Rathkeale Wastewater Treatment Plant will soon become home to even more different types of wildlife and insects.

"Uisce Éireann recognises the urgent need to increase our efforts to halt the decline of biodiversity. We are committed to building infrastructure that protects and, where possible, enhances our ecosystems. By reducing the number of times we cut our grass on-site, and in our gardens at home, we are giving plants more time to flower, and in turn more chances for pollinators to survive. Planting native trees are also essential for storing green house gasses, improving water quality and enhancing biodiversity. We can all play our part in protecting and enhancing biodiversity."

The children's teacher, Julie Moloney stated:

"Being a Green School is something we take pride in, and our pupils are very enthusiastic about it. A thriving natural environment helps provide us with food, quality drinking water and clean air. The tree planting was a great hands-on experience for our 4th and 5th class pupils. The children really try to promote protecting nature and they would encourage every person to play their part. People may think their garden is too small, or their garden will look messy if they let the grass grow long, but by just being more conscious of wildlife and changing our habits, it will have a massive impact."