Locals slam litter report

THE latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) report that placed Ballymun last in a list of 40 areas has been deemed ‘deeply unfair’ by a local councillor.

The latest IBAL survey declared Ballymun to be a ‘litter blackspot’ – the first time the grade has been used in the report in three years.

The report went on to state that Ballymun had recorded one of the worst results since the league was founded 17 years ago.

The examiner noted it was “especially disappointing” that sites that had been top ranking in previous surveys were now littered.

The car park at Ballymun Shopping Centre was described as “a complete eye-sore right in the centre of Ballymun” while Balbutcher Lane wasn’t just littered but subject to illegal dumping, as was Shangan Road.

IBAL spokesperson, Conor Horgan, said the absence of litter blackspots up until this year’s report was an indication of progress made over past five years.

“However, as the Ballymun and other results show, there has been little if any progress in disadvantaged areas of our cities,” he continued.

“The gap between these areas and the commercial high-footfall commercial city centres is widening.”

Local councillor, Noeleen Reilly (IND) said that while Ballymun suffered from illegal dumping and litter at times, the IBAL report was “deeply unfair” to the local community.

“If you read the report you would nearly think that everyone in Ballymun is littering and that no positive work takes place at all,” she said.

“This is simply not the case and the IBAL report flies in the face of other national bodies like the Tidy Towns Competition and The Pride of Place, which has shown huge improvements in the community over recent years.”

Cllr Reilly is calling on Dublin City Council to re-introduce waste collection services.

“If we are to tackle the scourge of illegal dumping then we need to look at a solution to it,” she said.

“Fines have not worked and there is not the staff there to police the bylaws.

“Dublin City Council needs to take back over the waste management service and put the cost on rents. It was a huge mistake to privatise this service and we have seen an increase in illegal dumping all over the city. 

“It’s time to reverse that decision and give communities a chance to improve their areas."

Ballymun Tidy Towns expressed its frustration with the IBAL report on its Facebook page.

“There are a few people that drag OUR community into reports like this, yet Ballymun is made of much better people,” the group posted.

“None of us are blind to the problem that exists in Ballymun, all you have to do is look out your window, and then there’s the people complaining about it on social media. 

“But when is our community going to come together and do something about it? Where are all these people when we come out every Wednesday and do our bit? Or on National Spring Clean day?”

There was also bad news for the north inner city in the report, which was again graded as ‘seriously littered’, a status IBAL attributed in part to the widespread use of bags over bins in domestic waste collection.

“Bags are an antiquated form of collection which lead to dumping,” said IBAL’s Conor Horgan.

“All too often they are left out for long periods on the street and attract other people’s waste. In addition, they are prey to the growing problem of gulls or vermin damaging them in the search for food. Bins present an altogether neater and more hygienic solution.” 

IBAL is calling on Dublin City Council to review the streets exempted from an EU law requiring waste collection by bins and work with private waste companies to introduce special bins where space is an issue.

“The derogation from the EU law is too broad, with damaging consequences,” he said.