.
PEOPLE dumping fast food packaging and the poor state of derelict sites in town is letting the town down, according to councillors who were reacting to the news that Tralee was placed 33rd in the latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) league table on Monday.
Their disappointment was expressed at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District councillors on Monday morning.
Labour Cllr Terry O’Brien said the result reflected very poorly on the town, but said a lot of what is in it is outside of the control of Tralee Tidy Towns, especially in relation to the poor condition of derelict sites.
Cllr O’Brien, the PRO for Tralee Tidy Towns, said the result is very disheartening for the Tidy Towns volunteers, Kerry County Council workers and others who do so much to enhance the town’s image.
Continued below…
.
He also said there is a large element of people who go to fast food takeaways and when they are finished eating they just dump the bags out of their cars on the side of the road.
The IBAL report stated roads coming into town from Killarney and Dingle were strewn with fast food packaging. Cllr O’Brien said takeaways were doing their best putting signs up asking people to dispose of their rubbish responsibly, but the message was not getting through.
He said it wasn’t children that were doing this and adults had to step up and take responsibility. He also said the new Mall was already being affected by discarded chewing gum.
Cllr O’Brien said Tralee is in danger of losing its Tidy Towns Gold Medal status and if that happens, the people who do nothing to help the tidy effort will be the first to be up in arms, blaming the Council and Tralee Tidy Towns.
Chairperson of Tralee Tidy Towns, Cllr Sam Locke (Ind), agreed with Cllr O’Brien and said the Council needs to start getting tough on people illegally dumping.
Cllr Pa Daly (SF) said that it’s inevitable that there will be illegal dumping with the current waste collection service, which requires €30 to be in a person’s account before their waste is collected and that some people will not buy into this.
Cllr Daly also said that there will come a time when a Council refuse collection service will be reintroduced in Tralee, but only when it comes to an unacceptable level of illegal dumping.
Cllr Graham Spring (Lab) said any prosecutions of individuals should be highlighted to show there are severe consequences for illegal dumping.
Mayor Norma Foley agreed the result was disheartening but noted it was a preliminary report and the town can put in an effort to improve before the final report in January 2018.
