'Think before you throw' fed up community volunteers tell fly tippers

A rural Cavan community say they are 'fed up' with illegal dumpers. Spring Clean volunteers vented their fury having collected nearly 200 bags of litter last month only to, once again, find the area targeted by unscrupulous individuals chucking rubbish away.

'People are very annoyed and they want prosecutions,' Kildallan community activist and co-organiser of the major community clean-up, Anna Conroy, told the Celt this week.
Stemming from recommendations contained in the Trocaire resource book, based on Pope Francis' focus on the environment, the group conducted weekly talks about environmental awareness throughout Lent. Each week the issue of illegal dumping would arise and, encouraged by this, the group set about organising the clean-up, involving all members of the community and denominations.

 

Up to 50 people got involved and, along with the near 200 bags of rubbish, they collected a variety of larger household items and electronics including TVs, washing machines and car tyres. There were so many bags by the end of the clean-up that it took Council staff up to five trips to remove them all from the locality.

But what frustrated the group most was that the majority of the rubbish collected was 'recyclable'.

'It’s just lazy. So they could just get rid of that stuff for free but they don't both. It’s very frustrating. It’s a bad message to send out to people as well. I mean, the bags dumped next to the local primary school, what's the point in that? Why do that? What's wrong them?' Mrs Conroy asks.
A major source of encouragement for participants was no doubt the promise of breakfast laid out by Mrs Conroy and others. “We ran out of bacon and sausages near the end,” she laughs.
But within mere days of the clean-up operation, bags of dumped illegally rubbish were being found on roadsides and hedgerows in the parish.
Some 12 bags were reportedly dumped at one site, with further bags of rubbish found at Carn, and outside the local primary school and church also. The matters are now being investigated and it’s hoped, if evidence linking the owners can be found, that prosecutions will follow.

Highlighting the environmental and health risks involved, Mrs Conroy says: 'You don't know what's in those bags. The bag dumped down near the church, I don't know what was in it but it was attracting a lot of blue bottles. It’s disgusting.'
Mrs Conroy ponders too: 'Is it that people heard this was going on? Is it out of badness that they've done it again? I hope not, or do they think we'll pick it up regardless? Are they local?'
Whatever the case, the community are determined to not let their local area continue to be blighted by illegal dumpers. 'We're going to keep an eye out. My phone was hot for two weeks afterwards. People are just fed up.'
She adds: 'Everyday we walk, we're picking up some form of rubbish, wrappers, crisp bags, you name it. All we're asking is for people to think before they throw, it’s as simple as that. Bring it home and put it in your bin there. Those 200 bags we collected built up over a year and I've no doubt, unless there is a change, we'll be picking up another 200 bags again this time next year.'
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan-Monaghan Niamh Smyth has expressed concern that despite a Government initiative to tackle illegal dumping, rubbish is continuing to be left in public parks, beside lakes and on roadsides throughout Cavan and Monaghan.
In March, the Communications Minister launched the 2017 anti-dumping initiative, however Deputy Smyth has voiced concern that it is failing to have the desired impact, noting that some 31 bags of rubbish were dumped beside the Town Lake in Bailieborough. Bags of rubbish and other household refuse were dumped beside a lovely scenic spot at Lough Sillan in Shercock. Further reports of rubbish being dumped have occurred at Castletara and at Erica’s Forest in Cootehill, built in memory of young girl with local links who died last year following a battle with cancer.
'Surveillance is key in clamping down on this issue and we need to increase the resources that are currently available to properly police illegal dumping across the two counties. Initiatives and grand plans are all well and good, but we really need to see the resources allocated to the County Councils to ensure action on the ground,' said Deputy Smyth last week in the Dáil.