Laois sporting event goes green with free drinking water initiative

Ciara Kearns, Mick Cullen, Milan and Sam McLeod from Laois County Council. Photos: Renata Metelicka

placeholder image — Ciara Kearns, Mick Cullen, Milan and Sam McLeod from Laois County Council. Photos: Renata Metelicka

Laois County Council partnered with Trilogy Triathlon Club for the Portlaoise popular event

One of Laois' most popular sporting events went green this year with a helping hand from Laois County Council's Climate Action Team. The Council partnered with Trilogy Triathlon Club to bring sustainable practices to the forefront of this year’s TriLaois 2025, through the Green Your Festival Laois (GYF Laois) initiative.

Now in its 15th year, TriLaois took place on Saturday, April 14, bringing together approximately 270 participants for a day of swimming, cycling, and running. This year’s event took a greener step forward with the inclusion of environmental supports provided by the Council. As part of the GYF Laois kit, the Council deployed colourful bin toppers and signage to support proper waste segregation onsite. Green for recycling, black for general waste, and brown for composting — these visual guides helped streamline waste disposal, resulting in cleaner recycling and compost streams. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

PICTURED: Niamh Campion at the event.

In a further effort to reduce single-use plastic, the Council sponsored Refill’s Event Mobile Hydration Station — a filtered water unit that provided free, fresh drinking water to all participants. Reusable cups were supplied, eliminating the need for single-use plastic bottles at the event. A total of 950 reusable cups were used, with 935 successfully returned — a strong result toward reducing plastic waste at local events.

“It’s fantastic to see local sporting events like TriLaois embrace sustainability and lead by example,” said Sam McLeod, Environmental Awareness Officer at Laois County Council.

“Partnering with Trilogy Triathlon Club made it possible to cut back on single-use plastics and show that small changes can make a big difference.” CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

PICTURED: Happy athlete Darerca O'Sullivan

The Green Your Festival Laois kit is part of Laois County Council’s broader effort to support local festivals and events in becoming more sustainable. The kit currently includes bin toppers for clear waste segregation, Wattsun battery units to enable renewable energy usage, and planning checklists for event organisers.

Following the success at TriLaois 2025, the Climate Action Team is now exploring options for including portable water refill stations and durable reusable cups as permanent features of the GYF kit — ensuring future events across Laois continue to reduce their environmental footprint.