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Limerick Still Durty!!

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  • 23-08-2010 2:02pm
    #1
    Mc Love
    Registered Users Posts: 14,015 ✭✭✭✭


    Not good news
    WE ARE getting dirtier as well as poorer. And if Limerick is a lady, as the song goes, she is one who appears down on her luck.

    That is according to the results of the 2010 survey commissioned by Irish Business Against Litter (Ibal) published this morning. Of 53 towns surveyed, just over half received the accolade “litter-free” – down from two-thirds on last year.

    While Ibal chairman Dr Tom Cavanagh welcomed a rise in the average score of all 53 towns, which he says is “closer than ever to the European average”, the survey does not hide its criticism. Limerick, last year described as a “litter black spot”, improved this year to merely “littered” but it was referred to as “again the most littered” of cities.

    Survey conductors An Taisce commented: “The really poor sites in Limerick city were not just heavily littered but many of them were neglected or derelict.” It was noted some litter was “old”, while nowhere in the city or its suburbs entered last year’s Tidy Towns competition.

    The distinction of worst-performing town was Tallaght. The Dublin suburb was dubbed a “litter blackspot” which was “showing signs of overall neglect, a big challenge that must be surmounted”. Naas, Co Kildare, and Midleton, Co Cork, also fared badly, both judged to be “seriously littered”.

    Irelands cleanest town was Wexford, which had “consistently high standards of maintenance of the environment”.

    Sligo, Killarney and Letterkenny were the cleanest towns in their provinces, while Waterford emerged as the cleanest city. The survey revealed a strong improvement in Dublin city centre, which, along with Galway and Cork cities, was labelled “moderately littered”.

    The criticism was not confined to generalities and Hillview Drive in Portlaoise was described as one of the worst sites in all of the Ibal litter surveys and “sacks of rubbish were on the pavement with the contents strewn across the path.”

    In Tuam, Co Galway, the survey specifically mentioned “dumping on a large scale at a private house” while a shopping centre in Castlebar was described as a litter blackspot.

    According to Ibal, the loss of litter-free status was caused in most cases by the neglect by county councils of approach roads, among them key entry points to airports and seaports.

    But while the fall in the number of litter-free towns was described as “a disappointment”, an Ibal spokesman pointed out the “good” towns helped raise the national average.

    When we are bad, it seems we are only moderately bad, but when we are good we are very, very good.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0823/1224277382311.html


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    #2
    krudler
    Registered Users Posts: 34,788 ✭✭✭✭krudler


    No surprise there, the city centre is a kip, have a walk down O'Connell st and count how many bins are on it, no wonder the entire city is covered in chewing gum, William St is a disgrace for it


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    #3
    Vanolder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,241 ✭✭✭Vanolder


    krudler wrote: »
    No surprise there, the city centre is a kip, have a walk down O'Connell st and count how many bins are on it, no wonder the entire city is covered in chewing gum, William St is a disgrace for it

    Alot of it springs from attitude and education also. The amount of times you see young kids just drop their rubbish on the street when a bin is nearby is shocking. And they dont just pick up these habbits from no where... We as a society really need to be educated... but I guess it's hard to take pride in your area when no one else does.


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    #4
    Mrmoe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,212 ✭✭✭Mrmoe


    Vanolder wrote: »
    Alot of it springs from attitude and education also. The amount of times you see young kids just drop their rubbish on the street when a bin is nearby is shocking. And they dont just pick up these habbits from no where... We as a society really need to be educated... but I guess it's hard to take pride in your area when no one else does.

    I think you are absolutely right in saying this. Another aspect to consider as well though is the complete lack of rubbish bins. I normally have a 20 minute cycle passing along Childers Road and the Dublin Road and I would not come across any bins. One section was only cleaned up last week. It had been covered in rubbish for the past year or so.


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    #5
    timesnewroman
    Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭timesnewroman


    Agree 100% about the lack of bins. I can walk from my house (in Corbally) to town and the first bin I encounter is outside Arthurs Quay. Ludicrous.


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    #6
    Jofspring
    Registered Users Posts: 4,005 ✭✭✭Jofspring


    In fairness though i was in London two weeks ago and it was nearly impossible to find a bin anywhere in Picadilly Circus and Oxford/Regent Street. Ended up having to put a lot of rubbish in our back packs because of the lack of bins but yet the city itself wasn't actually full of litter suprisingly enough. So bins isn't the only problem.


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    #7
    munstergirl
    Registered Users Posts: 771 ✭✭✭munstergirl


    Limerick city council can only do so much, people need to do their part too.

    I see street sweepers doing a good job + 10 mins later some slob will throw their rubbish on freshly swept streets.


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    #8
    Mc Love
    Registered Users Posts: 14,015 ✭✭✭✭Mc Love


    Mrmoe wrote: »
    I think you are absolutely right in saying this. Another aspect to consider as well though is the complete lack of rubbish bins. I normally have a 20 minute cycle passing along Childers Road and the Dublin Road and I would not come across any bins. One section was only cleaned up last week. It had been covered in rubbish for the past year or so.

    Thats because certain areas like to set bins on fire (again no respect for the area they live in)
    Jofspring wrote: »
    In fairness though i was in London two weeks ago and it was nearly impossible to find a bin anywhere in Picadilly Circus and Oxford/Regent Street. Ended up having to put a lot of rubbish in our back packs because of the lack of bins but yet the city itself wasn't actually full of litter suprisingly enough. So bins isn't the only problem.

    Thats because they employ street cleaners and people do drop the litter on the ground a lot more.

    IIRC its also because bomb threats would be common and a bin is a nice place to hide bombs


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    #9
    Limerick_Lass
    Registered Users Posts: 1,033 ✭✭✭Limerick_Lass


    munstergirl wrote: »
    Limerick city council can only do so much, people need to do their part too.

    I see street sweepers doing a good job + 10 mins later some slob will throw their rubbish on freshly swept streets.

    Apparently there are 45 street cleaners who go out to clean the streets every morning


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    #10
    zuroph
    Registered Users Posts: 11,097 ✭✭✭✭zuroph


    the council do their best to clean and sweep. but every weekend in town you'll see some young wan dragging her kid by the wrist and telling him to "throw dat away".
    Hardly anybody in town these days except scobes, and they're the primary source of litter. Check out William st bus stop area for example.


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    #11
    krudler
    Registered Users Posts: 34,788 ✭✭✭✭krudler


    zuroph wrote: »
    the council do their best to clean and sweep. but every weekend in town you'll see some young wan dragging her kid by the wrist and telling him to "throw dat away".
    Hardly anybody in town these days except scobes, and they're the primary source of litter. Check out William st bus stop area for example.

    I think the chewing gum on William St isnt far off becoming a sentient being, its slowly working out our weakenesses and plotting our doom..


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    #12
    Mc Love
    Registered Users Posts: 14,015 ✭✭✭✭Mc Love


    The new footpaths the lay down too are horrible - looks very cheap and not pleasant at all, plus when the chewing gum sticks to it, makes the paths look very dirty


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    #13
    Amazotheamazing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,048 ✭✭✭Amazotheamazing


    I'm going to make me a good sharp axe, shining steel tempered in the fire...

    Wait, wait, that's about Salford.


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    #14
    thesimpsons
    Registered Users Posts: 1,694 ✭✭✭thesimpsons


    find it very hard to believe there are 45 street cleaners out on the streets of the city every day - I've passed rubbish thats been on the street one day and still there the very next morning. I'd say I've only ever a handful of times ever seen street cleaners and that machine thingy in the city centre. Its like seeing the gardai on the beat - just doesn't happen very often. I've also seen people try to put rubbish in bins that are clearly overflowing and couldn't possibly have been emptied that morning. City council just don't seem to prioritise litter as being a problem. Its been going on for years and city centre is no cleaner now than 10 yrs ago.


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    #15
    Limerick_Lass
    Registered Users Posts: 1,033 ✭✭✭Limerick_Lass


    thesimpsons wrote: »
    find it very hard to believe there are 45 street cleaners out on the streets of the city every day - I've passed rubbish thats been on the street one day and still there the very next morning. I'd say I've only ever a handful of times ever seen street cleaners and that machine thingy in the city centre. Its like seeing the gardai on the beat - just doesn't happen very often. I've also seen people try to put rubbish in bins that are clearly overflowing and couldn't possibly have been emptied that morning. City council just don't seem to prioritise litter as being a problem. Its been going on for years and city centre is no cleaner now than 10 yrs ago.

    The street cleaners are out at the crack of dawn. But maybe they have been cut back like lots of other jobs. But I believe alot of people living in city centre apartments dispose of their rubbish in the street bins which doesnt help.
    Maybe on the spot fines should be more enforced, the guards have the power to impose fines but who from the council are enforcing the litter laws?!


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    #16
    talkingclock
    Registered Users Posts: 1,066 ✭✭✭talkingclock


    Mc Love wrote: »
    Not good news[/URL]

    There is nothing new under the sun...


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    #17
    Berty
    Registered Users Posts: 26,149 ✭✭✭✭Berty


    I was talking to a Cafe owner the other day and a orange juice container lands on the ground next to us. Apparently the apartments above just throw their rubbish out the window / off their balcony. By the time you look up they are gone so they dont know what apartment.

    NICE! :mad:


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    #18
    timesnewroman
    Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭timesnewroman


    Mc Love wrote: »
    The new footpaths the lay down too are horrible - looks very cheap and not pleasant at all, plus when the chewing gum sticks to it, makes the paths look very dirty

    If you are talking about the paving used on Thomas St/Bedford Row/Catherine St then I couldn't disagree with you more. I think it looks fantastic.


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    #19
    billox
    Registered Users Posts: 91 ✭✭billox


    Limerick_Lass wrote: »
    The street cleaners are out at the crack of dawn. But maybe they have been cut back like lots of other jobs. But I believe alot of people living in city centre apartments dispose of their rubbish in the street bins which doesnt help.
    Maybe on the spot fines should be more enforced, the guards have the power to impose fines but who from the council are enforcing the litter laws?!
    most of the apartments in town include bin collection in rent if not all of them(well at least any ive lived in anyway and thats about 5 or 6) so it could be a bit of the problem but i think the council just doesn't empty them enough


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    #20
    steveon
    Registered Users Posts: 3,905 ✭✭✭steveon


    I was in Estonia recently, and every single lamppost had a bin attached to it. When you buy a bottle of coke, can or anything you pay a 10cent tax, bring the bottle back get your 10cent returned...the result not a single piece of rubbish ANYWHERE...and I mean anywhere, I walked for miles and miles as there was so much to see.. and the place was SPOTLESS...

    Its quite simple put bins in, empty them day and nite, get rid of those useless bins for cigarettes that are always overflowing, put more recyling bins around the town....

    Drop rubbish on the spot fines...this town is a disgrace and Im ashamed of it at times as it has so much to offer...


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    #21
    Berty
    Registered Users Posts: 26,149 ✭✭✭✭Berty


    steveon wrote: »
    I was in Estonia recently, and every single lamppost had a bin attached to it. When you buy a bottle of coke, can or anything you pay a 10cent tax, bring the bottle back get your 10cent returned...the result not a single piece of rubbish ANYWHERE...and I mean anywhere, I walked for miles and miles as there was so much to see.. and the place was SPOTLESS...

    Its quite simple put bins in, empty them day and nite, get rid of those useless bins for cigarettes that are always overflowing, put more recyling bins around the town....

    Drop rubbish on the spot fines...this town is a disgrace and Im ashamed of it at times as it has so much to offer...

    Do you know how expensive it would be in this country to put any new bins in and how much it would cost to empty those bins?

    There would likely be a strike by council workers because this is extra work they will not be paid for.

    You will need 5 different external contractors employed to get the bins in place. One to build them, one to deliver them, one engineer to check the bin, one to check the pole and one to hang the bin.

    A bus stop by DCU cost €550,000 to build.

    How about people just cop on and stop throwing rubbish around?

    I saw a guy in the regional hospital last night, with a big scumbag head on him. You know the type, grey cotton tracksuit pants tucked into white socks over black runners and a swagger than said "Im going to be sea sick". He takes the receipt from the hospital crumples it and throws it on the ground in front of around 30 people saying "government is picking up that fvcking bill". I dont think he was doing it to show he is a hard man. I honestly think that he just doesnt understand how much of a dickhead he actually is. Monkey see monkey do I'd say was his upbringing.


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    #22
    Chinasea
    Registered Users Posts: 1,568 ✭✭✭Chinasea


    Jofspring wrote: »
    In fairness though i was in London two weeks ago and it was nearly impossible to find a bin anywhere in Picadilly Circus and Oxford/Regent Street. Ended up having to put a lot of rubbish in our back packs because of the lack of bins but yet the city itself wasn't actually full of litter suprisingly enough. So bins isn't the only problem.

    London had to remove bins from such areas you mention for security reasons. Our own little green army and the bearded variety were disposing of their boom booms in the bins so they had to be removed.

    As for our own streets not having bins this is because our county council employ lazy heavily unionised lumps who refuse to empty any extra bins that are provided and in fact they have removed countless bins where I live as they say they have no resouces to empty them. This was happening in the boom days, so that resource excuse was
    is a load of rubbish!. I could never understand why it took four of them to empty the bins in our local park, talk about a waste of resources. Every morning on my way to work our local lazy council worker lumps are hiding up behind a disused house reading the Sun/Mirror. There seems to be no supervision and of course no pride whatsoever in their work and actually their supervisors are terrifed of them as some of these guys are thugs.


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    #23
    zing zong
    Registered Users Posts: 291 ✭✭zing zong


    Vanolder wrote: »
    Alot of it springs from attitude and education also. The amount of times you see young kids just drop their rubbish on the street when a bin is nearby is shocking. And they dont just pick up these habbits from no where... We as a society really need to be educated... but I guess it's hard to take pride in your area when no one else does.

    Fact!

    Zero civic pride here, this won't return overnight though. Also the council should get though and actually prosecute people that litter , I dont mean everyone that drops a cigarette butt or bus ticket, the bigger stuff, education should take care of the rest, and teach kids that there is infact shame in littering


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    #24
    zing zong
    Registered Users Posts: 291 ✭✭zing zong


    Berty wrote: »

    A bus stop by DCU cost €550,000 to build.

    THIS was an example of incompetence on the council's part.

    In the real world where people are actually encouraged to find the best value available for the taxpayer (i.e. not Ireland) plastic bins to be fitted to lamp posts can be bought in bulk for a few cent each, and fitted for relatively little as well


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    #25
    boardgirl
    Registered Users Posts: 57 ✭✭boardgirl


    If instead of 45 workers out cleaning the streets up in the morning they had only 25 and then the other 20 spent the remainder of the day on bin maintenance duties? a bin every 100m with an attatched ciggie tray wouldn't break the bank! I have first hand knowledge of the special breed of idiot we have running our councils.


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    #26
    Chet Zar
    Registered Users Posts: 968 ✭✭✭Chet Zar


    In fairness, Irish people generally just don't have any civic pride/pride in their surroundings. You only have to look at the beaches after a warm sunny weekend - the amount of litter and rubbish is a complete disgrace. You'd never see it in other countries. I was in New Zealand a few months ago and did not see a_scrap of litter anywhere. Same with Oz.

    Maybe we need more guys like this guy....



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    #27
    Limerick_Lass
    Registered Users Posts: 1,033 ✭✭✭Limerick_Lass


    I agree with the above, Limerick people dont have pride in their city, well a certain majority who live in the city anyway. Its down to education aswell, start with the youth.


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