Ballymun declares war on litter

BALLYMUN locals turned out in force last week to voice their determination to rid the area’s reputation as a litter blackspot.

The latest Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) report published in June placed Ballymun last in a list of 40 areas and declared Ballymun to be a ‘litter blackspot’ – the first time the grade has been used in the report in three years.

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.

The report came as a blow to locals, many of whom work tirelessly to keep the area clean. However, some parts of Ballymun suffer from illegal dumping with a tiny minority undoing the good work carried out by volunteers.

Last week almost 100 people turned up to a packed public meeting determined to improve the area’s image.

The meeting was organised jointly by Dublin City Council and The Ballymun Tidy Towns Committee.  

“It was great to see so many local people coming together to respond to the IBAL report”, said local TD Róisín Shortall, who attended the meeting.

“People identified the many positive improvements in the area but they also identified the black spots and everyone was agreed on the urgent need to tackle these. 

“Dumping is an on-going problem and Dublin City Council was urged to take stronger action against the offenders.

“Some areas look fantastic thanks to the work of residents groups while other areas could do with a lot more help.”

There will be a follow-up meeting on September 17 when an action plan will be agreed to tackle littering and to take steps to improve the appearance and environment of local estates. 

“Ballymun people are determined to ensure that this negative is turned into a positive, and that next year Ballymun will go up the IBAL ratings,” added Deputy Shortall.