As we prepare for a summer which will no doubt involve a much higher level of outdoor dining and drinking, the Government is making extra funding to the tune of five million Euro available to local authorities to tackle the expected surge in littering.
The Green Party in South Louth have welcomed the announcement and their rep in South Louth, Anthony Murphy said the extra funding would have a huge impact on both visitors and the local community this summer:
“There are areas in South Louth that are plagued with litter and it is an issue that needs to be tackled urgently” he said.
“As we see people returning to the wonderful beaches of Clogherhead, Seapoint and Baltray or at Townley hall or Oldbridge, we need to ensure these visitors have somewhere to dispose of their rubbish.
“At the moment, the infrastructure is woefully inadequate. This Funding will help and is to be welcomed.”
Announcing the extra funds Green Party Leader and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD said:
“I am providing this extra funding to support local authorities so we can all enjoy an outdoor summer in a pleasant environment. The funding will add more recycling and litter facilities to meet increased demand – but it’s also up to all of us to clean up our act when it comes to litter and make a conscious effort to leave no trace.”
Minister Ryan has sought an immediate mapping of bin infrastructure to identify optimum placement of new bins and to pinpoint where smart solar-compacting bins could be feasible.
He will also seek to harmonise the local authority response to the litter issue, to centralise procurement of materials, so that quality litter pickers, gloves, dog litter bags and bins are available. The aim will be to reduce costs, reduce duplication of effort and to harmonise the quality of product.
Minister Ryan also confirmed that a further €3 million in funding will be provided to local authorities in support of the 2021 Anti-Dumping Initiative and approved €225k in funding for An Taisce in support of an extended 2021 National Spring Clean programme, which this year will run through the summer months due to the effect of the ongoing Covid situation on their traditional timetable.
Also welcoming the announcement was Louth Fianna Fáil Senator Erin McGreehan who said the amount of waste seen recently highlights the need to be moving towards zero waste and reduce all packaging on purchases.
“The upcoming implementation of the Single Use Plastics Directive is long overdue” she said.
“I very much welcome the announcement however I am very impatient when it comes to litter. We need to go to a place where prevention is better than the cure, reduce the waste, increase responsibility and I do believe we need to have heavier fines for littering.
“We also need increased investment in our Local Authorities Litter Wardens, they have so much to do at the minute and do not have enough resources.”
