by Bernie English
The chairman of Limerick county council’s environment committee has expressed alarm and dismay over the revelation that the local authority had to pay €800,000 to clean up after illegal dumping last year.
Adare Fine Gael councillor Leo Walsh, who chairs the county council Environment special policy committee, said that In the present climate, when money was so scarce, everyone had a part to play in ensuring that public littering is wiped out.
He said people should be more conscious of the large amount of money that the council had to spend disposing of all forms of rubbish such as furniture, tyres, rubble and electrical appliances.
“That money could be much better spent repairing the potholes on the roads than removing the items which are continuously being dumped on the minor roads throughout the county.
He appealed to the public when they visit a bottle bank not to leave bags of refuse on site if the collection bins are full.
“There are security cameras at all these sites. Registration numbers are being recorded and fines are being issued. The council’s environment section are working hard to deal with the problem of littering but the onus is on everybody to be responsible for their own unwanted goods.
He said that many people were not aware that the dumping of freshly cut grass or other materials on the side of the road was illegal and he called on motorists to refrain from throwing rubbish out windows of cars.
