Cork Street Buildings in the Evening Herald

Residents angry as council blame them for litter

DISPUTE: Locals are problem not us, say chiefs

By Cormac Murphy
Wednesday January 21 2009

A DUBLIN councillor has come to the defence of residents in one of the city's most rubbish-strewn areas -- after the council blamed them for the litter.

Dublin City Council admitted the area -- Eugene Street, Maxwell Street and Darley Terrace in the south inner city -- suffers with huge litter problems.

But, in a move which has angered local representatives, it attempted to blame residents for the problem.

However, Cllr Criona Ni Dhalaigh, who raised the issue with city chiefs, disputed this claim and criticised the council for taking the "easy way out".

"It's not all the residents. Some of it is because there is such a transient population there, but most of it is people coming in and dumping," Cllr Ni Dhalaigh told the Herald.

"That is an easy way out of it -- blaming the residents."

A spokesperson for the council claimed: "The area goes completely against national trends in that the vast bulk of the litter is created by the residents themselves through poor presentation of domestic waste."

Cllr Ni Dhalaigh's (SF) comments came after she tabled a question calling on the local authority to declare the district a "litter black spot".

In response, the council outlined the actions it has taken.

Blitz

It "organised a high visibility 'blitz' of the area during August [last year] comprised of the litter prevention officer, four litter wardens and two to three gardai," the report stated.

"This was carried out over three days in five-hour shifts, starting at 10am and ending at 9pm. The staff on duty engaged freely with residents, explaining why refuse should not be put on the street on a daily basis," the report added.

Other steps taken included "covert surveillance from an anonymous vehicle for a total of seven hours, spread out over a three week period" and random patrols by litter wardens.

It stated that litter black spots are determined by surveys carried out under the National Litter Pollution Monitoring System, but that the zone in question did not fit the profile.

The council added: "The level of littering on these streets is disproportional to the size and population of the area. The city council can only employ measures that are reasonable and feasible in the context of available resources.

Cllr Ni Dhalaigh said one of the major issues was absentee landlords "not replying to queries about residents who are untidy".

She said the streets are made up of tiny cottages, some of which are in a "terrible state".

comurphy@herald.ie

- Cormac Murphy

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/residents-angry...