Dealing with litter: ‘Name and shame them, prosecute them – use stick, not carrot’

Name and shame them, prosecute them, use the stick, not the carrot, declared local councillors last week when they called for open season on litter louts and fly-by dumpers.

At their February meeting, members of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District bemoaned the fact that a large portion of the €1.73 million spent on maintaining public spaces goes on cleaning up after a minority.

The members welcomed the huge effort that goes into sweeping the streets, planting flower pots (80), hanging baskets (90) and roundabouts and keeping the district looking well, but said that those efforts were being negated by a minority.

They called for stricter measures to catch the culprits, including CCTV cameras at black spots.

Many spoke of the need to step up litter control measures ahead of the fleadh coming to Mullingar in the summer, when visitor numbers will soar. They were assured that the council will be working closing with the fleadh organisers to ensure that Mullingar is looking its best for the event.

The flowers planted should be in full bloom by then, streets will be power washed and signs cleaned up and extra litter bin collections will be arranged. A new community warden is being appointed. Statutory bodies involved in the running of the fleadh – ambulance services, fire brigade, gardaí and council departments meet every two weeks to discuss plans.

The mayor of Mullingar, Cllr Aoife Davitt, said she did not know how anyone in the council would get any sleep during the fleadh with all the extra work that will be involved.

Turning parochial, Cllr Davitt asked that Ballinea be swept monthly rather than quarterly, saying that with the greenway nearby, it is a busy spot.

She also called for more amnesties for mattress and hard plastic disposal initiatives, and was told that such amnesties are organised regularly and that the council would look at sweeping Ballinea more often.

Cllr Mick Dollard asked if the council was going to power wash the streets of Mullingar for the fleadh so that the town could be seen at its “very best”.

He welcomed regular grass cutting in areas like Ginnell Terrace and Dalton Park, but urged that the grass cuttings be swept off the footpaths. “I’d prefer if it wasn’t cut at all than left on the paths,” he remarked. He asked that the contractor get off the machine and just get a brush to sweep the paths.

He was told that the residents cut the grass in Dalton Park, but the council will look at getting the cuttings blown off the paths in Ginnell Terrace.

Cllr Ken Glynn said dumping incidents are rising yearly. He was particularly concerned about the Butler’s Bridge area. He said that there are plenty of bins there and they are emptied regularly and local people clean it up, but they are frustrated by illegal dumping of mattresses and such items.

“It is gone beyond a joke, the number of times I have had to report it,” he said, adding that it is a lovely area, close to the greenway, and calling for a permanent solution and preventative measures rather than tidying up after people every time.

He complained that bin collection lorries and heavy goods vehicles are damaging grass areas at the entrances to housing estates. He was told that efforts were being made to minimise such damage.

Cllr Andrew Duncan said that not a week goes by but someone dumps at Butler’s Bridge. He called for cameras in such areas and asked that money be sought for that under the anti-dumping scheme. He was assured that if there are grants available, the council will apply for them.

He said the fleadh was the best chance Mullingar has had in a couple of generations to sell itself. He asked that councillors be privy to plans for the fleadh so that they can “do our bit”. He was assured that they would be kept updated.

The fleadh is a big showcase for this county and all aspects – litter control, signage, parking, must be brought together in a concerted effort, said Cllr Emily Wallace.

She called for compact bins that could hold three or four times the amount of rubbish so that they do not overflow during the fleadh. She was advised that compactor bins are heavier than regular bins and one person could not lift them, so there is a greater cost element, plus, because they are not collected as often as regular bins, they smell.

Cllr Wallace called for longer opening hours at Ballyglass Cemetery to facilitate those with mobility issues trying to look after graves. She was advised that this would mean paying overtime and added cost. At present, the graveyard gates are open 8am to 4.30pm five days a week and coming up to cemetery Sunday, opening hours are extended.

Cllr Frank McDermott was annoyed about obsolete road signs on the old road from Reynella to Turin chapel and beyond. He said there is a “lorry load of steel sitting on the side of the road and it looks bad”.

“I’d love to see them gone, so many signs telling you nothing,” he said. The matter is to be referred to the National Roads Office.

Cllr Denis Leonard agreed that the council should not have to be spending so much on litter control and illegal dumping in public places. Name and shame and prosecute them, he urged.

Cllr Leonard referred to Boreen Bradach in Kinnegad, where a new walk and cycleway is being developed. He said he hated to see so much investment in an area that is a dumping ground. “Most of us see these areas as a place to walk, others see them as a place to dump,” he said.

Cllr Leonard said that a certain amount of rubbish that is put in street bins could be taken home or recycled and that domestic waste is being crammed into them too. He also called on dog owners to bring home their dog litter saying that “it is like dodging land mines” at times.

He called for the use of “the stick, stick, stick” when tackling derelict buildings, which he described as a “blight” and the sites that attract a huge amount of dumping.

He was told that the council is working with the Tidy Towns committee in Kinnegad, who are painting derelict sites, and the council will be inspecting those sites with a view to putting them on the derelict sites list.

Cllr Hazel Smyth said that a segregated bins pilot scheme rolled out at Belvedere House and Gardens should be extended to other areas and more water points should be installed around the town centre. She recommended that “audio” should be used to remind people that there are cameras in operation and to bring home their rubbish.

Dr Paul McCool, district engineer with the council, announced that a new community warden is to be appointed. He said audio was tried in the Mullingar Town Park, where there are two garda cameras and a general operative working full-time in the summer. The new community warden will prioritise the town park too.

Cllr Smyth called for less pruning and hedge cutting to protect biodiversity and more mindfulness of when and how it is done. She mentioned the Ardmore Road, where she said people were “very upset” about hedgerows being removed. She was assured that the council prunes and cuts hedges responsibly and at the appropriate time. Native hedging species will be planted at Ardmore Road.

Cllr Smyth called on the council to include wildflower and tree planting as part of its plan. She also asked that a new site be found for the bottle banks in Rochfortbridge that were removed. She was told that the council will be planting trees in the coming weeks and they are trying to find a new location for that bottle bank.

The council works with Mullingar Tidy Towns committee, who plant wildflowers in many parts, and are developing a tree planting management policy that will feed in to future works.

Cllr Paddy Hill acknowledged the amount of work being done to keep the county clean and the efforts being made by council workers who he had seen out in the rain, picking up litter. He said it was not fair that council staff should have to pick up this “s” after totally irresponsible people dumping along the roadsides.

Cllr Hill said “it’s like guerrilla warfare” trying to catch those dumping illegally at night along the road from Whitehall chapel to Castlepollard and the Castlepollard to Finea road.

It was acknowledged that roads near towns are night time dumping sites, even the ramps to the motorways are used. The council should continue to clean up that rubbish because if they don’t, more gathers. They cut the grass verges to make it easier for staff to pick up litter and in the hope that if a verge looks well, people will be less likely to throw their empty bottles and coffee cups out car windows.