County must read from same litter ‘hymn sheet’
A county-wide litter management plan is to be proposed for Cork in the coming months amidst continuing and widespread litter problems.
At a recent full meeting of Cork County Council, a motion was brought forward calling for the creation of a county-wide litter plan with a view to give guidance and standardisation on general waste and litter management.
The joint motion was brought by Social Democrats Cllr Eamonn Horgan and Independent Cllr John Buckley.
“We do need some kind of a single hymn sheet that we’re working off of when it comes to litter,” said Cllr Horgan.
“This plan would be a document that everybody could refer to. It would be available online for guidance for the general public, for community groups such as the Tidy Towns and the Ballynamona Clean Coasts in East Cork,” added the East Cork councillor.
Cllr John Buckley, also representing East Cork, said there needs to be consistency between Cork county’s different municipal districts (MDs).
He said in his own MD, the number of bins in each of the main towns varies widely. He also called into question the enforcement of laws surrounding litter in the county.
Cllr Buckley said: “We’re down to 57 litter fines last year from 83 the previous year. There are only three fulltime litter wardens in the county. I think that’s very under resourced.
“There were 738 fly-tipping complaints last year and only one of them ended up in court,” he added.
In a written response to the motion, Michael Lynch, Divisional Manager, confirmed that a litter management plan is already being developed by Cork County Council’s Planning and Environment Directorate.
Mr Lynch added that a draft of the plan will likely be presented to the Environment, Climate Action and Biodiversity SPC and Divisional Committees for consideration in the coming months.
Cllr Horgan welcomed the response but asked if elected members could have more input regarding the development of the plan. He also asked the executive for a clear timeline as to when the draft plan will be available for review.
Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern supported the motion and reminded the council of a motion previously brought forward by former Sinn Féin councillor Danielle Twomey calling for the installation of solar powered waste-compacting bins on main streets around the county. Cllr Ahern asked if this could be considered within the litter plan.
West Cork Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton added: “I think solar bins is something we need to look into because unfortunately in my MD, birds tend to pull out the rubbish or the food after the weekends.”
In 2020, a pilot project saw a number of waste-compacting bins installed in Cobh. However, despite much support for a wider rollout, county officials decided against it.
Another suggestion came from Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn who said a mobile CCTV unit, as currently used in a number of other local authorities around the country, would be a very effective measure against littering.
“There’s no bigger deterrent than CCTV,” said the Fermoy councillor.
“When they’re caught, they never, never, never again offend. They’re all full of apologies.
“So, I think the word should go out from Cork County Council: If you pollute the countryside, you will be caught and you will pay for it.
“I think a mobile CCTV unit would be very effective. It has worked very effectively for other county councils. I think it would be a small investment for a job well done,” he added.