Chilly reception for winter bin-emptying

ALTHOUGH a six-figure sum was generated by Lahinch car park last year, emptying the bins there during the winter is a non-runner, Clare County Councillors were told this week.
Councillor Tony Mulqueen and Joe Arkins submitted a motion asking the county council to maintain litter management services at beaches and resorts during the winter, particularly when parking charges are collected.
In a written reply, director of services Nora Kaye gave an outline of the Lahinch situation. “Litter bins are provided at Lahinch generally from Easter (weather dependent) to October. These bins are serviced by the Ennistymon area staff. Presently, one employee is assigned to servicing these bins in addition to other duties in the area. If a litter bin service was provided during the winter months it would incur additional expenditure on a seven-day-a-week basis.
“Litter bins are not provided during the winter season as the number of visitors to Lahinch beach is considerably reduced during this time. The funding for the provision and servicing of litter management facilities at beaches including Lahinch beach is provided under street cleaning in Clare County Council’s revenue budget and is fixed for 2012. Therefore, any increase in expenditure in winter will result in a decrease in the summer service. This expenditure cannot be justified in the current economic climate and with a staffing moratorium in place.”
Her reply also stated in 2010, Lahinch car park took in €157,914 and another €11,460 in fines. Last year, the car park income was €206,741 and €13,411 in fines.
Councillor Michael Hillery said there is a need to spend money on Clare’s beaches. “We have to keep ahead of other places and we will fall behind if we don’t invest.” Councillor Mulqueen asked if the traffic warden at Lahinch couldn’t collect litter from the bins, especially on Saturday and Sunday.
Fine Gael Councillor Bill Slattery said Lahinch had “gone back about 20 years”. He said people were being given an excuse for not cleaning up after dogs because of the lack of bins and laws are not being enforced.
Councillor Richard Nagle said the solution was to implement a masterplan for Lahinch, something he said had been discussed for “the last seven or eight years”. He said three sets of consultants had come up with different solutions and the length of time it was taking to start was “ridiculous”. He also claimed that money is available to proceed.