‘One million’ bags of mystery refuse

OVER one million black bags of rubbish are unaccounted for in the county, with almost half of all Clare householders not availing of a waste collection service, it has been claimed.
At this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council, Councillor Johnny Flynn urged that the county council adopt household waste bylaws.
“Fourty-seven per cent of Clare householders are not signed to registered waste collectors. I am asking that a policy similar to what is being done in Limerick and Leitrim be introduced, where households must demonstrate that they have alternative arrangements in place that satisfy the local authority,” he said.
He insisted that the problem of flytipping on the outskirts of Ennis is affecting people’s quality of life.
“Ennis is one of the towns that is most badly affected by flytipping,” he stated.
According to Councillor Flynn, 47,000 tonnes of waste are produced in Clare every year, with 30,000 of that accounted for and managed. “That leaves 17,000 unaccounted for, which is well over one million black bags worth.”
The motion garnered wide support from the other councillors. Councillor Frankie Neylon described how he has seen a home with 80 plastic bags in the garden. “The lady was in the garden and a rat was looking down from the wall while she was sunbathing,” he said.
Councillor Mary Coote Ryan described the level of dumping of household waste as “shocking”. Councillor Paul O’Shea pointed out that some households dispose of waste in the recycling centre and they may not get a receipt. “This might not be deemed acceptable if there are bylaws, we would have to be very careful,” he said.
Councillor Mary Howard added that Ennis is a lovely town and it is “dreadful to see people throwing rubbish over bridges and into fields. We need to do something to stop this.” She suggested that large bins be left in different parts of the town. “At least they would be getting rid of some of their rubbish, some people genuinely can’t afford to pay for waste collection,” she said.
However, Councillor Peter Considine objected to this, stating when a skip was tried in Abbey Street Car Park a number of years ago “it was like the Doora dump”.
He added the people of the town should not be blamed for flytipping and that people drive for miles to dump rubbish. “It’s a disgrace,” he said.
Councillor Tommy Brennan stated bylaws are a good idea but he had concerns about how it would work.