This article is from page 16 of the 2013-07-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
CLARE beachgoers have been asked to clean up their act, and council workers are providing more bins to help them do just that.
Clare County Council has employed additional resources to deal with the increase in litter that has resulted from what it calls ‘unprecedented’ visitor numbers to beaches such as Kilkee, Lahinch and Spanish Point.
The local authority says it is also installing additional, temporary bins along the length of the beach in an effort to minimise littering while litter wardens have been deployed to monitor littering activity. It is now urging visitors to Clare’s main beaches to take responsibility for their rubbish by bringing it home with them.
“Our beach is a fantastic resource for the wider community and it’s up to us all to ensure that we take home what we bring to the beach,” said Paul Moroney, Senior Engineer with Clare County Council.
“The council wishes to acknowledge those who have used the public bins to dispose of their litter. These bins are emptied regularly each day but often reach their capacity due to the unprecedented large volumes of visitors to the beaches. In Kilkee, we are finding that some people are dumping their litter along the seawall, on the beach or beside already full bins rather than bring their litter home with them. We are installing additional bins today to counteract the problem but would continue to ask the public to take responsibility for their own rubbish and leave nothing behind but their footprints,” he said. “Leaving or throwing litter in a public place is an offence that can be subject to an on-the-spot fine of € 150 or a maximum fine of € 3,000 if you are convicted of a litter offence in the District Court. Council litter wardens will take action where they deem necessary so we would advise the public to be wary of the law around littering. After all, indiscriminate dumping of picnic litter and other rubbish does not create a positive image for any beach or for local tourism.”