Some load of rubbish!

Some 11.1 tonnes of waste resulting from illegal dumping have been removed from Nenagh Municipal District this year.

Tipperary Co Council has been working with local communities in battling a problem that has increased during the pandemic. One major cleanup involving the community in Newport on Good Friday resulted in the gathering of over 500 bags of rubbish.

Despite the restrictions on the National Spring Clean event this year, 73 groups in the Nenagh district registered with An Taisce to carry out cleanups within their 5k. Groups were provided with pickers and bags, and the council disposed of the waste gathered.

Eleven litter fines were issued in the district in the first quarter of this year along with two enforcement notices in relation to waste management, both of which are pending prosecution. This month’s meeting of Nenagh Municipal District was also informed that five CCTV cameras were installed by the council to counteract illegal dumping.

As part of several public awareness initiatives, the council promoted obligations in relation to waste with 32 council tenants. A thousand ‘Repair & Reuse Directory’ booklets, which feature over 110 local businesses that provide repair, alterations, upholstery and restoration services, have been published and made available through libraries, council offices, resource and Citizens Information Centres.

Discussing the litter situation at their monthly meeting, local councillors praised litter warden Noel Searson and all in the council's Environment section for their work. Cllr Michael O'Meara said a particularly large illegal dump site was found at Redwood Bog in Lorrha recently and he wanted it remedied as soon as possible.

Cllr Phyll Bugler mentioned the ‘Big Belly Bin’ pilot scheme in Cahir and asked if the same could be rolled out in Ballina and Newport. The bins in Ballina in particular are not large enough to deal with the volume of waste generated, she said, adding that there is also a local problem with people dumping rubbish at bottle banks.

In support, Cllr Ger Darcy said people are leaving boxes of bottles on the ground at bottle bank sites when the receptacles are full, which frequently happens. He said there is a major problem with littering in general in the district at present and spoke of a particular problem with people throwing rubbish from vehicles on the N52.

DISCARDED FACE MASKS

Cllr John Carroll said another problem that has arisen is the discarding of face masks.

Anyone caught dumping large bags of rubbish should be prosecuted under the Waste Management Act and liable to be fined €5,000, he said, criticising the prosecution of such incidents under the Litter Act where only a €150 fine can be applied. Cllr Carroll said it can cost the council over €1,000 to bring an offender to court over littering; he also called for greater use of drone technology in combating litter.

Cllr Fiona Bonfield was centrally involved in the Good Friday cleanup in Newport, in which over 500 bags of rubbish were collected. She thanked the council for supporting the local community initiative and suggested running a campaign to inform communities about what they can do in responding to litter. Cllr John Rocky McGrath praised all involved in the Newport cleanup and said the work should not have to end there. People should be assisted in organising further cleanups if they want to keep on top of the problem, he said.

Senior Executive Office Marion O’Neill said the council has been notified of a number of new anti-dumping initiatives funded by the Department of Environment. She said Redwood Bog might be suitable for such a scheme and encouraged local representatives to submit other litter black spots that could also be considered.

Big Belly Bins are expensive but very helpful in that they compact waste and automatically alert the council when they need to be emptied. Ms O’Neill said the council would try to provide more of them in the future.

She said she would follow up on the bottle bank sites but added that signage has been provided alerting the public to a number that can be called when the banks need to be emptied. Ms O’Neill spoke of the difficulties encountered in trying to prosecute litter offenders but she pointed out that the council doubled the amount of fines issued last year, assisted in many cases by CCTV cameras. She said a number of cases before the courts have been adjourned because of the pandemic but would be heard later in the year. Cllr Joe Hannigan wanted to see “smart technology” used in the fight against illegal waste. He also proposed a pilot scheme whereby people would be awarded with vouchers for returning used plastic bottles and coffee cups for recycling.

Administrative Officer Orla Kelly outlined such a scheme that is now being planned by the Department. The onus would be on packaging producers with input from retaillers and local authorities as well.

Cllr Séamie Morris told of schemes in other countries where phone credit is given to people who return used bottles and cans. Such a scheme would prove popular with young people here, he said.