55 tonnes of litter collected in a day along Co Kerry roadsides
It was found that passing motorists and pedestrians accounted for 90% of the plastic, paper, tin and other items strewn at the sides of the roads in Kerry.
More than 300 surveys were carried out across 16 towns in the county in 2016 and the single biggest cause of litter pollution was found to be “passing motorists and pedestrians,” the new litter pollution report states.
However, a call by the mayor of Kerry Michael O’Shea to erect litter warning signage along all national secondary, primary and some regional routes asking motorists not to litter has been rejected because the signs themselves would amount to litter and be unsightly, officials said.
The council would continue with its no dumping signs at known dumping spots but while necessary “this signage in itself detracts from the appearance of an area,” Mr O’Shea was told.
Covert cameras and mobile CCTV is also being rolled out at litter blackspots, particularly at fly-tipping and recycling sites where dumping of household waste is being detected.
On April 2, 2016, 3,600 volunteers took to the roads for a Kerry County Clean Up day and collected over 55 tonnes of waste on that day alone.
It is expected a similar volume of material has been collected on the county clean up April 8 this year.
Separately, more than 24 tonnes of fly-tipping rubbish was collected, down from 30 tonnes the previous year.
The reduction has been attributed to increased vigilance by both council workers and the public.
Some of the dumping was on such a scale and the items so large, that council crews and equipment had to be brought out to clear the sites, in forests and bogs and generally alongside roads.
