Dirty Dublin Depresses Me..

Anselm

Hi Guys,

Does anyone else get depressed by the amount of litter in Dublin ? I live in NorthSide Dublin, average estate, not the best but by no means the worst..there is just so much litter around greens, verges, roadsides, etc etc. Just looking at all the crisp packs, cans, bottles, gets me down - not sure if its a manifestation of something else, or just a sadness that nobody has any civic pride, but it really gets to me, to the extent that I would draw the curtains rather than look out at the littered roads. Tried compaining to the council, not to much avail.

Does/has anyone else ever felt like this ?

Thoughts appreciated..

Victor

I'm not sure this is a Personal Issue.

Marksie

Moving to dublin forum

death1234567

Dublin is a smelly kip.

Xavi6

I actually hadn't realised how bad the litter problem was until I moved away from Dublin. Here in Perth the whole city is 99% spotless. People just don't litter. I haven't seen anybody throw anything on the ground, though that could be a lot to do with the fact that there are bins everywhere.

It is quite sad and lends a lot to the 'Dirty Ol' Town' image. Something needs to be done, whether it's simply just putting more bins in place or actually fining people properly.

Anselm

do you think more bins is the answer ? I have spent days cleaning up my road, only for it to be dirty again in a few days..its impossible to keep it litter free- but the council only litter pick main roads, and not private estates..as far as I know ?

lightening

Anselm wrote: »

or just a sadness that nobody has any civic pride, but it really gets to me, to the extent that I would draw the curtains rather than look out at the littered roads.

Are you on the residents committee? Have you cleaned up outside your own house? I do that a lot. It helps and makes other people do it and reduces the problem dramatically. I also pull people up if I ever see them littering. It has caused a little hassle for me, but nothing serious and its worth it.;)

Genuinely, if you are depressed by litter, I suggest you move out of the city or the country, or do something proactive about it. Be careful where you go though, there are much dirtier towns outside Dublin!

helimachoptor

Even when i was younger I never littered. I was in the car the other day with my younger brother and he was finished a bottle of coke he opened the window and went to throw it out, I was appalled...

Grid.

People just don't give a f**k here!:o

AngryHippie

death1234567 wrote: »

Dublin is a smelly kip.

x2

Latchy

Were litter is concerend ,for every 1 person who puts his/her litter in the bin another 9 wont .It used to piss me off seeing people throw litter on the streets and out of car windows (ok it still does ) but if they can stop and fine people for attemtaing to smoke in pubs then i dont see why they dont enforce the law more when it comes to litter louts .
We are outnumbered ,but i still put my litter in bins and will continue to do so .

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

It's a respect issue. We may say we love the city, but we don't respect it. As Xavi pointed out above, it's only when you see the cleanliness of cities abroad, you only realise how filthy Dublin really is. It's not just littler, it's pollution from exhaust fumes too.

It must drive toursits up the wall.

most of Dublin is a smelly kip. But its my smelly kip, im used to it. If you are sick of Dublin you\\\'re better off leaving or going on a long holiday to a less smellier place. I blame the government!

+1 for Dublin is a smelly kip forum

po0k

helimachoptor wrote: »

Even when i was younger I never littered. I was in the car the other day with my younger brother and he was finished a bottle of coke he opened the window and went to throw it out, I was appalled...

Did you give him a clip round the ear?

Latchy

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

It's a respect issue. We may say we love the city, but we don't respect it. As Xavi pointed out above, it's only when you see the cleanliness of cities abroad, you only realise how filthy Dublin really is. It's not just littler, it's pollution from exhaust fumes too.

It must drive toursits up the wall.

How do you go about educating the people of any city to take pride and respect in their city ? it's not asking much but if a city earns a reputation for being ' Durty ' then it's a mind set thing ....loike ' why change now ' ? . It starts with you and i , him and her ...everybody and it would be easy to blame people of a certain post code but you see it with people from all walks and areas of life ,dropping and disposing of litter that is .

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

latchyco wrote: »

How do you go about educating the people of any city to take pride and respect in their city ? it's not asking much but if a city earns a reputation for being ' Durty ' then it's a mind set thing ....loike ' why change now ' ? . It starts with you and i , him and her ...everybody and it would be easy to blame people of a certain post code but you see it with people from all walks and areas of life ,dropping and disposing of litter that is .

You don't.

You can't "educate" or "teach" or "force" people to repect anything - it comes naturally. You have to ask "why don't people resepct Dublin?" and tackle those issues. Do that and the respect will follow.

That are bring back the SS.

Grid.

Its really down to education!! I've seen many incidents around the city that would "make your blood boil", having been to many cities around Europe its just "plain sad" when you return. We don't know what it is to have civic pride in this country! Our attitudes have to change because its just not good enough to say "let the government sort it" or "someone else will clean it up"!!

Everyone can make a difference by disposing their rubbish carefully! My own front garden after a weekend will have beer cans, newspapers, sweet wrappers, plastic bags, cigarette boxes,etc.. It's very disappointing:(

Latchy

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

You don't.

You can't "educate" or "teach" or "force" people to repect anything - it comes naturally. You have to ask "why don't people resepct Dublin?" and tackle those issues. Do that and the respect will follow.

That are bring back the SS.

Why dont people respect Dublin ? exactly is there somthing in the water ? like we have to go abroad to see and appriciate clean streets ? .
Sombody mentioned tourists well if they see the streets are unclean it says everything about the inhabitants ie , they dont care .

We were all (most of us ) brought up with the proud to be irish tag and rightly so but if we cant take pride in our own streets than it somtimes has a shallow ring to it .

Grid.

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

You don't.

You can't "educate" or "teach" or "force" people to repect anything - it comes naturally. You have to ask "why don't people resepct Dublin?" and tackle those issues. Do that and the respect will follow.

Thats not true, of course you can educate people and cultivate respect!
How does any society progress?? Its not just down to whether someone is naturally tidy or not! Peoples attitudes need to change, from children to adults. It affects us all! Small changes can lead to big results!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Gridlock wrote: »

Thats not true, of course you can educate people and cultivate respect!
How does any society progress?? Its not just down to whether someone is naturally tidy or not! Peoples attitudes need to change, from children to adults. It affects us all! Small changes can lead to big results!

"Educating people" and "cultivating respect" are two completely different tasks. If you're educating people, the people will either accept (or not accept) what you teach them.

Cultivating respect is what I endorsed in the first place.

it's like the psychologist/light-bulb joke: people have to want to change.

raheny red

Nothing worse than walking past Quinns of Drumcondra on a Thursday or Friday morning. Smash bottles and pints along the path outside and vomit in places as well.

kmick

Live in Rathgar and have to say it is lovely and tidy. Rathmines used to be bad but its a bit better now. Irish people litter and there is no reason in the world not to as there is no deterrent. All you can do is not litter yourself and encourage your kids not to either. You will get a box if you say it to anyone on the street.

Grid.

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

"Educating people" and "cultivating respect" are two completely different tasks. If you're educating people, the people will either accept (or not accept) what you teach them.

Cultivating respect is what I endorsed in the first place.

it's like the psychologist/light-bulb joke: people have to want to change.

I agree.

lightening

raheny red wrote: »

Nothing worse than walking past Quinns of Drumcondra on a Thursday or Friday morning. Smash bottles and pints along the path outside and vomit in places as well.

Mostly people from the country drink there.

irlirishkev

I live in the North City Centre, and the litter really really p*sses me off sometimes. My blood boils when I see people littering. The most common one I see is the cigarette wrapper/box being casually dropped on the ground, or kids dropping crisp packets etc..

I see it all the time, but I've never, never seen a litter warden in Dublin. I've been told they exist but I've yet to see proof.

On the spot fines (big fines). That or castration. Too late for the scum that litter, but it might help future generations :mad:

Nightwish

For the 5 years I lived in Dublin, the filthiness really depressed me. I found the city in general a pretty horrible place to live. Its absolutely manky compared to other European cities. I've visited Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Helsinki in the past few months and they are spotless in comparison.

Nolanger

We spend millions enticing tourists with the Spire, boardwak, and new trees - only for them to admire the graffiti.

Grid.

Maybe introducing 'common sense' to Leinster House would be a start!:rolleyes:

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Nolanger wrote: »

We spend millions enticing tourists with the Spire, boardwak, and new trees - only for them to admire the graffiti.

If you've ever seen foreign grafitti, trust me, they're not going to be 'admiring' (or bothered by) anything they see around here...

mikemac

In rural areas there is a tidy towns competition.
Everyone paints their gates, put flowers out in displays and lots of other stuff.
And god help you is the commitee reckon you aren't pulling your weight, you'd almost be denounced in Sunday mass :eek:

Do Dublin have something similar? Like all the townlands in Dublin enter? I doubt it, it's realy a rural village thing after all

tampopo

micmclo wrote: »

In rural areas there is a tidy towns competition.
Everyone paints their gates, put flowers out in displays and lots of other stuff.
And god help you is the commitee reckon you aren't pulling your weight, you'd almost be denounced in Sunday mass :eek:

Do Dublin have something similar? Like all the townlands in Dublin enter? I doubt it, it's realy a rural village thing after all

Dublin DOES have something similar. For the last two years (that I've gone to the awards ceremony in Wood Quay) Raheny won first prize in the Best Urban Village, and Rialto won second Prize in the Best Urban Village section of the competition.

They have lots of categories, e.g. 1-100 houses, 101-2500 houses, 2501-5000 houses etc etc.

I've gone around picking up litter in my area. Unwillingly. I felt as if I'm doing DCC's joh. In my opinion, the DCC are retiring the street sweepers and not replacing them. It's too expensive to hire sweepers and give them pensions.
A week after the cleanup, it was as bad as ever.

On another occasion, I saw this young fella approaching, young, but probably 5th or 6th year, so old enough to know better. He was eating some sweet ina wrapper. He passed by and when I looked around, there was a wrapper on the ground and his hands were empty. So I hollered at him and got him back to pick it up. I told him he should know better, and that there were plenty of wheelie bins between here and his house and there's no excuse for littering. He's old enough to know better, plus the bins in every garden on the street.

I just wish the winos/alcos would do the same with their cans of lager, usually Dutch Gold! They could easily take them away with them and pop them into any green bin.

About 10 years ago, I was coming out of Roches Stores into the Mall area. Two young fellas, maybe 10yo, were throwing sugar sachets on the ground. I shouted at them, 'Pick them up". They said "they're not ours" I said I don't give a sh1t, you've just thrown them there. PICK THEM UP. PICK THEM" and I stood over them till they picked them up.
Maybe they'll think twice about doing it in future if they thought they'd be reprimanded for it...

It's a big deal every September for the awards ceremony in the Civic Offices. Bit of grub, some drinkies. now you know why I go!!!

Grid.

Good for you, thats the spirit!!;)

tricky D

Remember talking to some american tourists once upon a time, they just couldn't get their head around why people couldn't hang onto litter until they reached a bin or home and the dropping of litter within a yard or two of a bin. I can't get my head around it either.
.../sigh

stackerman

Look boys and girls, sit somewhere like McDonalds and watch people get up after their meal and leave the mess on the table. Then next time you go to Europe look out for the European attitude. People in this country expect someone else to clean up after them, they dont give a ****. I have kids and would go through them if they did that, never mind dump their rubbish on the ground. It is ALL about the parents, full stop !

Wishbone Ash

keving wrote: »

Look boys and girls, sit somewhere like McDonalds and watch people get up after their meal and leave the mess on the table

I don't understand why people feel the need to clear their table in McDonald's - like a flock of sheep kow-towing to corporate behavioural influences! Do you do it in other restaurants? Do you feel the need to vacuum the cinema after watching a film? Do you bring your empty glasses back to the counter in the pub? Do you feel the need to bring your supermarket trolley back into the shop or do you place it in the nearest trolley bay?

It's ridiculous to make a connection between littering and those of us who don't feel the need to clear our tables in McDonald's.

Red-Devil

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I don't understand why people feel the need to clear their table in McDonald's - like a flock of sheep kow-towing to corporate behavioural influences! Do you do it in other restaurants? Do you feel the need to vacuum the cinema after watching a film? Do you bring your empty glasses back to the counter in the pub? Do you feel the need to bring your supermarket trolley back into the shop or do you place it in the nearest trolley bay?

It's ridiculous to make a connection between littering and those of us who don't feel the need to clear our tables in McDonald's.

I couldnt agree more. I couldnt give a **** if some McDonalds worker has to clean up my mess what else do they get paid to do? As long as your not covering your left overs with your own feces the workers should have no problem cleaning up.

hugsr4free

You can change the place but not the people!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Red-Devil wrote: »

I couldnt agree more. I couldnt give a **** if some McDonalds worker has to clean up my mess what else do they get paid to do? As long as your not covering your left overs with your own feces the workers should have no problem cleaning up.

Ah, now THERE'S the attitude that sums up the sentiments quiet nicely! **** everyone except me - I don't give a ****! What is it Homer Simpson said? "Can't someone ELSE do it?!"

Sin-e Fi-annnnna Faaaaail......

DublinWriter

We Irish are dirty-pigs. End of.

Red-Devil

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Ah, now THERE'S the attitude that sums up the sentiments quiet nicely! **** everyone except me - I don't give a ****! What is it Homer Simpson said? "Can't someone ELSE do it?!"

Sin-e Fi-annnnna Faaaaail......

Well im guessing you dont deliver your own rubbish to the dump every week? do you? no we have bin-men who do that. I dont eat that much in McDonalds anyway I have to say. I much prefer restaraunts where you dont actually have to put away their own product.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Red-Devil wrote: »

Well im guessing you dont deliver your own rubbish to the dump every week? do you? no we have bin-men who do that. I dont eat that much in McDonalds anyway I have to say. I much prefer restaraunts where you dont actually have to put away their own product.

No, but I've somehow managed the art of depositing rubbish in bins and not leaving it on the table. The respect that's not being shown here is for the person who is waiting for a table to become free and either a) has to sit amongst someone else's trash or b) bin it for them.

Didn't think about them did you? Them being "someone else"?

gurramok

What's needed is a horrible disease to break out to change attitudes.

Back in the 90's, bubonic plague broke out in Inida because of dirt and filthy habits. Guess what happened, the general populace copped on that they were killing themselves and changed their ways.

A shock tactic like a killer disease wil sort out the problem prompto here:D

stackerman

The plonkers of you above have just proved my point :mad:. It's a mind set ! You expect someone else to clean up, be it in Mcd's the street etc. You probably think you are providing employment ! If you think it's a good example to any kid's (your own or not) to just piss off and leave the next customer to deal with YOUR mess, well I am really waisting my time, clueless

Grid.

Overheard a couple of guys ranting the other day about the 'Corpo' not taking black bags that were left outside the wheelie bins, so one says to the other, "feck the rubbish all over the street and then the b*****ds will have to take it away":o
Sadly, thats the kind of attitudes we're up against!!

I am pie

didn't i read something about 180 million Euro set aside for cleaning up Dublin ? In fairness there is an ad anti-littering campaign (is it still on?) which shows it is being taken seriously.

I blame on excessive packaging provided by fast food companies, i suppose it's a marketing thing...does it really do their brand any good tho when colonel sanders is grinning back at you on a paper bag lying in a dirty puddle covered in ketchup and puke on a sunday morning.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I am pie wrote: »

didn't i read something about 180 million Euro set aside for cleaning up Dublin ? In fairness there is an ad anti-littering campaign (is it still on?) which shows it is being taken seriously.

I blame on excessive packaging provided by fast food companies, i suppose it's a marketing thing...does it really do their brand any good tho when colonel sanders is grinning back at you on a paper bag lying in a dirty puddle covered in ketchup and puke on a sunday morning.

Sorry, but you're sidestepping the issue. "They gave me too many wrappers so it's okay for me to chuck it on the ground!"? No, sorry. Not acceptable.

It's a lack of respect for other people, end of.

I am pie

I'm not sidestepping anything. Littering is bad, it's disrepectful. I'm pretty sure no one is trying to defend it. I'm certainly not.

I also think there is an excess is needless packaging produced by most commercial businesses, lot's of it ends up pushed into already full bins or into canals. Most of it need never have been created as it serves no useful purpose. More time is spent more time dealing with all that commercially created crap, less time is spent cleaning the streets. Even if properly disposed of it costs the taxpayer money to dispose of and damages the environment and that my friend is what is "unacceptable". End of.

As for these feckers who continually push the same friggin menu for the same sh:tty food through my door...

iguana

The problem isn't just the litterers. More often than not when I'm in Dublin and I take my rubbish to the bin the bin is overflowing. The bins that are there just aren't emptied enough.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

iguana wrote: »

The problem isn't just the litterers. More often than not when I'm in Dublin and I take my rubbish to the bin the bin is overflowing. The bins that are there just aren't emptied enough.

And you can't take it home with you because...?!

Seiousky, though, Isee the points you and i-am-pie are making, but if we want a clean city, we'll very easily make one. Problem is, we don't want one.

iguana

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

And you can't take it home with you because...?!

I do take it home with me, but I shouldn't have to. There should be more bins and they should be emptied more regularly. I don't know if you are familiar with Deer park in Mount Merrion? But it is quite a large park and it has 1 bin, that is a total disgrace. I live in what is not a great part of London but there are bins everywhere and they are emptied all the time. I think it would be a lot easier to encourage people to not litter if there are enough bins and if the bins aren't over-flowing.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

iguana wrote: »

I do take it home with me, but I shouldn't have to. There should be more bins and they should be emptied more regularly. I don't know if you are familiar with Deer park in Mount Merrion? But it is quite a large park and it has 1 bin, that is a total disgrace. I live in what is not a great part of London but there are bins everywhere and they are emptied all the time. I think it would be a lot easier to encourage people to not litter if there are enough bins and if the bins aren't over-flowing.

People need more than encouragement!

(PS - When I said "What's wrong with taking litter home?" I meant it generally, not speciacally to you! Apologies for the misunderstrnading)