Senator Fiona O’Loughlin has welcomed the €5m announced for litter infrastructure and awareness campaigns.
“This additional funding for litter infrastructure and awareness campaigns is to encourage people to dispose of their rubbish thoughtfully,” said Senator O’Loughlin.
“As the economy begins to reopen now and into the early summer, it is so important that we can all enjoy living and relaxing in our public outdoor spaces. Because of this new way of living and socialising, local authorities have had to spend more money on recycling and litter facilities.”
This extra funding should go some way to supporting local authorities in this regard and allowing all of us to enjoy the outdoors this summer.
“However, it is still up to all of us to make sure we clean up after ourselves and dispose of our rubbish in the correct manner.
This also refers to ensuring that we tidy up after our dogs in public spaces. I have been working on litter legislation relating to dog fouling for some time and we need to make sure we keep our outdoor spaces clean for all of us to enjoy.”
According to the Kildare Senator as well as the €5m additional funding to the Local Authorities for litter infrastructure, a further €3 million in funding will be provided to local authorities in support of the 2021 Anti-Dumping Initiative, which, since its inception in 2017 has supported the delivery of over 300 projects, many involving local community groups and resulted in the removal of over 10,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from our landscape.
€225k in funding for An Taisce in support of an extended 2021 National Spring Clean programme has also been approved, which this year will run through the summer months due to the effect of the ongoing Covid situation on their traditional timetable.
Members of the Irish Waste Management Association in every county in Ireland have agreed to work with DECC to develop proposals that will assist with litter clean ups in local communities.
“This will be in addition to existing efforts undertaken by local communities to deal with the litter problem and is a very welcome development. DECC will also consider what additional enforcement supports can be applied, whether legislative or financial,” she concluded