LITTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
FOR DÚN LAOGHAIRE TOWN
SUPPORTED BY CLLR. DEVLIN
Local Councillor, Cormac Devlin has supported and welcomed the plan presented by Council Management to tackle the on-going problem with litter, illegal dumping and the lack of street cleaning in the town.
Council Report on the Management Plan For Litter In Dún Laoghaire:
The Dún Laoghaire Town Area has been subject to on going difficulties with litter and dumping over the past year. Following meetings with local groups a number of initiatives have been taken to help resolve those difficulties. The Litter Action Plan, which was presented to the Area Committees in January and February last, also had a number of proposals, which would address the type of issues arising in Dún Laoghaire.
Road Sweeping:
In response to a growing demand from the public for higher quality and wider range of cleaning services, the Road sweeping Section has embarked on a number of initiatives to improve the service. The Council are currently seeking tenders from contractors for provision of additional street cleaning services which will fill gaps in the current service, e.g. deep cleaning of litter bins, regular cleaning of open spaces, bottle banks, back lanes and afternoon servicing of litterbins and sweeping in targeted areas at week ends. Specific roads, which have been problematic due to high-density parking or regular dumping, will also be included.
The existing Road Sweeping Section will focus on higher standards and work to a regular schedule which will be available to the public. Approval has been granted for a significant increase in the amount of road sweeping plant available to the direct labour workforce to assist in delivery of regular quality cleaning. It is intended to acquire three additional road sweepers, two side loaders and a pedestrian sweeper within the next year. The number of litterbins put into service around the county has increased by 20% over the last 18 months and additional bins will be deployed subject to our capacity to service them.
While the IBAL Litter Surveys do provide standards for litter management, it is expected that deficiencies indicated by IBAL and other authorities can be addressed promptly and an improved level of service sustained.
Enforcement:
Litter Warden numbers have not increased but it is expected that new appointments will be made within the next few weeks, which will allow an increased presence on the streets from the end of May. In the meantime existing resources have been used to do regular checks on dumped materials and have them removed as quickly as possible. This has resulted in 39 fines being issued in this area.CCTV cameras have been installed at the more problematic locations in the area. While dumping has not stopped completely it had reduced at these locations. The technology is still under review but is generally considered to be successful. It is intended that the use of CCTV will be expanded further in this and other areas following further review.
Laneways:
Laneways generally are a target for dumping and litter and in Dún Laoghaire there are a number of lanes between Convent Road and Clarinda Park, which have on going problems. These locations are monitored regularly and cleaned as frequently as possible but reoccurrence is ongoing. The problem is complicated further by the fact that some of these lanes are in private ownership and others are in charge by the Council. Earlier suggestions to the local communities to install gates have not been proceeded with. However it is now recommended that the two lanes running parallel to Patrick Street would be closed at one end
Graffiti Removal:
With an increased budget available for 2007 arrangements were put in place to engage a Graffiti Removal contractor to attend to locations, which are the responsibility of the Council. A Contractor is being appointed at present and the first traunch of works will be undertaken by the end of May. It is intended that areas in proximity to towns will be undertaken initially. In the meantime private properties or utility units (ESB, Telecom) will be advised of their responsibilities and requested to address any problems.
There are a number of groups e.g. Tidy Towns and Tidy Districts groups who are putting substantial effort into cleaning and litter management of their areas with noticeable effect. The Environment and Parks Department are anxious to encourage and support such groups in their efforts.
Following extensive discussion on this Report in which Mr. John Guckian Senior Executive Officer, and Mr. Gerry D.Arcy Senior Executive Engineer responded to tbe members’ concerns regarding illegal dumping, waste collection, and graffiti removal, the report was NOTED.
