This article is from page 30 of the 2008-02-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
THE gloves are on for the annual Scariff Spring Clean, part of the na- tional event sponsored by An Taisce every April.
Last year, a number of community eroups in Scariff, including Scariff National School, stepped up to the mark and this year, the appeal has gone out early through the Scarif Newsletter to encourage all groups in the area to get organised and join ne
Those who volunteer for the big clean up get Spring Clean packs, including an information pack, some gloves and lots of large bin bags, which are colour co-ordinated for
plastic bottles, tins and drink cans, and general rubbish. This will make recycling the haul so much easier.
Anyone can sign up by registering online at www.nationalspringclean. Oo uee
Clare County Council is supporting the campaign by providing groups with free access to local centres to deposit waste and recyclables col- lected during clean-ups. To avail of a free pass to dispose of waste collect- ed as part of the Spring Clean Cam- paign groups can contact the Envi- ronment Section on 065 6846331 or Olea morse Teve toler
Phoebe O’Brien, one of the organis- ers of the clean-up last year said that small groups set out “each armed
with a couple of bags of each colour to see what we could tidy.
“The children were really helpful, and great at spotting things hidden in the bushes. It was lovely to see them becoming aware of their en- vironment and having such a sense of empowerment from their achieve- ment. As the groups arrived back for a celebratory tea, we were amazed at the full bags being loaded into the trailer, which we filled twice over. This was from just under three miles of roads, a mile of which had been tidied the year before.”
Notices will be posted around the town in the coming weeks, and the organisers are asking as many peo- ple as possible to come out and give
a hand.
Particularly needed are adults to collect rubbish along the main roads where it wouldn’t be possible for the children to clean.
‘In spite of our efforts, there seems to be a lot of litter about. Most of the litter along the road is drink bottles, fast food packaging and cigarette boxes. Apparently, people are more likely to throw rubbish where litter is already noticeable. So please be a part of the clean-up this spring. We are lucky to live in an area where the majority of people dispose of their rubbish properly and cleaning up what doesn’t get into the bins is not an insurmountable challenge,” said Phoebe.