The trashing of our parks and beaches

zell12

Cork council chief won't ask litter wardens to issue fines amid fears for safety

“Challenging people in open spaces would put staff at risk. Is it actually feasible to hand out fines to groups of teenagers? And anyway how effective would it be? I believe there are risks around that,” Council Chief Mr Lucey said.

schmoo2k

As an experiment I wonder what would happen if someone simply walked around the beach / park handing out rubbish bags to folks? I would expect a lot of folks would at least gather their own rubbish into it, but probably leave it behind them (still a win IMO).

We can ignore the exceptions as its the majority that counts?

Pawwed Rig

schmoo2k wrote: »

As an experiment I wonder what would happen if someone simply walked around the beach / park handing out rubbish bags to folks? I would expect a lot of folks would at least gather their own rubbish into it, but probably leave it behind them (still a win IMO).

We can ignore the exceptions as its the majority that counts?

We can't really. The majority of people already clean up after themselves. It is the exceptions that are the reason for this thread

Pawwed Rig

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

There you have it. There is no appetite for enforcement of any kind in this country

Expecting some council guy to dish out litter fines to a bunch of scrotes is a bit much though.
Gardai and Council together catching the odd one, and making a massive humiliating example is the way to go I reckon.

High viz orange jumpsuit, picking litter for a week or two in public places...

ParkRunner

In fairness to the Council when I lived in Dublin I saw them out every morning cleaning a beach when I was going to work.

People are unfortunately just extremely lazy and disgusting. I rented a house beside a busy main road last year and pretty much daily there was a discarded disposable drinks cup & food packaging rolling into the front garden from people throwing them out the car/van window.

The only solution is to get rid of single use packaging and make people use flasks and lunchboxes. A large tax rise on disposable packaging might help. Will this happen? No I can’t see it

ParkRunner

ParkRunner wrote: »

In fairness to the Council when I lived in Dublin I saw them out every morning cleaning a beach when I was going to work.

People are unfortunately just extremely lazy and disgusting. I rented a house beside a busy main road last year and pretty much daily there was a discarded disposable drinks cup & food packaging rolling into the front garden from people throwing them out the car/van window.

The only solution is to get rid of single use packaging and make people use flasks and lunchboxes. A large tax rise on disposable packaging might help. Will this happen? No I can’t see it

It's an admirable wish but it's not realistic.

Pawwed Rig

MikeOxsgreen wrote: »

Expecting some council guy to dish out litter fines to a bunch of scrotes is a bit much though.

If they cannot do the job then they shouldn't be there. If the job needs extra powers then do that. The abdication of responsibility seems typical from councils.
The richer this country gets the less services the council offers

Pawwed Rig

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

If they cannot do the job then they shouldn't be there. If the job needs extra powers then do that. The abdication of responsibility seems typical from councils.
The richer this country gets the less services the council offers

You've clearly no idea of waste enforcement. It's not sticking a parking fine on a windscreen.

Unless you're a Garda, and not on your own, you've no business approaching a bunch of scumbags, possibly with gat on board, who are of a mind to leave their sh1te all over a peach/park. Thats a special mindset. They can't even go into some sites/premises without Gardai.

The J Stands for Jay

There needs to be a tax, similar to the pakstic bag tax, put on as many disposable items as possible. Drinks containers being the most important to have the tax added to. It needs to be explicitly charged, just like the bags, and 'cup for life' options made available.

Littering fines could be imposed by the riot squad.

Wanderer78

McGaggs wrote:

There needs to be a tax, similar to the pakstic bag tax, put on as many disposable items as possible. Drinks containers being the most important to have the tax added to. It needs to be explicitly charged, just like the bags, and 'cup for life' options made available.

This probably wouldn't work, I think we got lucky with the plastic bag tax, but taxation doesn't always necessarily work in changing attitudes, I think it's time to start banning harmful materials, materials that do not biodegrade

whisky_galore

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

If they cannot do the job then they shouldn't be there. If the job needs extra powers then do that. The abdication of responsibility seems typical from councils.
The richer this country gets the less services the council offers

If a warden is excused from issuing fines then what use are they?
What do they even do to justify a salary?

Effects

PhilOssophy wrote: »

I think if the council had shovel ready plans over the last year, very few builders would have committed to doing the project, with the uncertainty in the industry.

Builders turning down work from the Council, while most other builders can't go to work even if they wanted to?

Effects

whisky_galore wrote: »

If a warden is excused from issuing fines then what use are they?
What do they even do to justify a salary?

Pick easier targets?

ThunbergsAreGo

Effects wrote: »

Pick easier targets?

Sums up the Irish attitude to punishment :pac:

magicbastarder

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

If they cannot do the job then they shouldn't be there.

it's hard and sweaty work, picking litter wearing a stab vest.

AlmightyCushion

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's hard and sweaty work, picking litter wearing a stab vest.

The vast majority of people who litter are just lazy and selfish. I've called a lot of people out on littering, most will just pick it up when you say something. Some will abuse you while doing it. Saying litter wardens can't issue fines because some scrote might stab them is such an edge case scenario. Scumbags park illegally yet we still give them fines and clamp them. We don't ignore it because the parking wardens/clampers might get stabbed.

PhilOssophy

Anyone know how many litter wardens the councils have? If the above is to be believed, then they all need to be fired immediately and the money spent on Gardai who can maybe help enforce this.

zell12

PhilOssophy wrote: »

Anyone know how many litter wardens the councils have? If the above is to be believed, then they all need to be fired immediately and the money spent on Gardai who can maybe help enforce this.

Not enough, clearly
https://www.newstalk.com/news/uneducated-ignorant-fools-contributing-to-increase-in-illegal-dumping-1178622

Alan Nolan is the community warden with Meath County Council. He told Newstalk he has a name for people who dump their waste,"I have an expression for them, I call them UIFs: Uneducated, Ignorant Fools is what they are.

PhilOssophy

Litter wardens are a waste of money. Lets face it, similar to a dog warden, I bet they turn a blind eye to what they want to.

Hard to change people though.

mrslancaster

zell12 wrote: »

Not enough, clearly
https://www.newstalk.com/news/uneducated-ignorant-fools-contributing-to-increase-in-illegal-dumping-1178622

Haha, UIF's, great.

People calling out litter-bugs by shouting UIF every time one is spotted? Could be dicey though. And would they be bothered?

magicbastarder

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

The vast majority of people who litter are just lazy and selfish. I've called a lot of people out on littering, most will just pick it up when you say something. Some will abuse you while doing it. Saying litter wardens can't issue fines because some scrote might stab them is such an edge case scenario. Scumbags park illegally yet we still give them fines and clamp them. We don't ignore it because the parking wardens/clampers might get stabbed.

i remember stories about volunteers clearing litter off the beach at brittas bay being verbally abused by people whose litter they were clearing up.
and yes, the vast majority of people who litter are just lazy and selfish. but they're not the ones you'd need to worry about.

Sheep Shagger

Litter picking should be one form of punishment for petty crimes / community service- never will be though.

Was at a swim spot yesterday, a group of teenagers (male and female) packing up their stuff so assume that meant they would take their bottles and pizza boxes with them.....oh no, when I got back ashore they had picked up their clothes etc but left all their rubbish behind.

The pics posted on this account daily make your blood boil, the .out recent haul included 4 RIPE/****ty nappies....WTF is wrong with people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQEoUWJHW9b/?utm_medium=copy_link

Pintman Paddy Losty

The problem is not enough bins or collection by the council.

When I'm out with the family and we finish our picnic I'll see if there is a bin nearby. If there is, I'll gladly leave our rubbish in it. If not, I'm leaving it behind. This is the only way you can send a message to the council. They'd be happy for everyone to have their car full of stinky cans and soiled sandwich tinfoil. They'd never provide facilities. Once a bit of a rubbish protest is left, suddenly the bins arrive.

magicbastarder

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

The problem is not enough bins or collection by the council.

When I'm out with the family and we finish our picnic I'll see if there is a bin nearby. If there is, I'll gladly leave our rubbish in it. If not, I'm leaving it behind.

if you can carry your stuff to the picnic site, you can carry it away.
please don't dress up your littering/laziness as a 'protest'.

Thelonious Monk

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

The problem is not enough bins or collection by the council.

When I'm out with the family and we finish our picnic I'll see if there is a bin nearby. If there is, I'll gladly leave our rubbish in it. If not, I'm leaving it behind. This is the only way you can send a message to the council. They'd be happy for everyone to have their car full of stinky cans and soiled sandwich tinfoil. They'd never provide facilities. Once a bit of a rubbish protest is left, suddenly the bins arrive.

Surely this is trolling but at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if there are people out there with this attitude.

iamwhoiam

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

The problem is not enough bins or collection by the council.

When I'm out with the family and we finish our picnic I'll see if there is a bin nearby. If there is, I'll gladly leave our rubbish in it. If not, I'm leaving it behind. This is the only way you can send a message to the council. They'd be happy for everyone to have their car full of stinky cans and soiled sandwich tinfoil. They'd never provide facilities. Once a bit of a rubbish protest is left, suddenly the bins arrive.

Why is the tinfoil stinkier going home than it was when you arrived . Bring a rubbish bag , put your rubbish in it and bring it home for heaven’s sake . It actually quite easy to do , just do it

Lillyfae

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

The problem is not enough bins or collection by the council.

When I'm out with the family and we finish our picnic I'll see if there is a bin nearby. If there is, I'll gladly leave our rubbish in it. If not, I'm leaving it behind. This is the only way you can send a message to the council. They'd be happy for everyone to have their car full of stinky cans and soiled sandwich tinfoil. They'd never provide facilities. Once a bit of a rubbish protest is left, suddenly the bins arrive.

It's absolutely true that there aren't enough bins, but don't dress up your scumbag behaviour as a protest against that. Bring a bag with you, put your rubbish in the bag, take it home or to whatever bin you do pass on your way home.

whisky_galore

mrslancaster wrote: »

Haha, UIF's, great.

People calling out litter-bugs by shouting UIF every time one is spotted? Could be dicey though. And would they be bothered?

I think 'cúnt' is a better description.

magicbastarder

maybe the council could set up a task force - you ring them, tell them where you're going to have a picnic, and they can send out a super strike force to install a bin for you before you arrive, so you've somewhere to put your rubbish, so you can feel good about not littering, and they can collect it after you're gone.

whippet

since the easing of lockdown the amount of rubbish left on the beach out my way is horrendous.

Its never been that busy of a beach but in the last few months it has been bedlam ... there is a small car park which has been sufficient for over a decade but now you have lines of cars parked everywhere blocking entrances, corners, grass verges and making it really dangerous for walking or cycling.

There are a couple of bins that are emptied twice a day but rarely full - but all sorts of crap left around the beach.

What I have noticed is the amount of inflatable toys that are treated as disposable / single use items just left behind. I avoid the beach now until late in the evening or very early morning with the dogs.

I suppose the attitude of those leaving their waste behind is that they only use the beach when it suits them and have no vested interest in keeping it clean.

As for those looking for more bins - thats all well and good if there are shops etc selling stuff around the beach .. but this is a rural beach with no shops etc .... should the council be putting out bins in fields all over the country where people go walking.

Again - its the attitude of the lazy and entitled who feel that 'someone' else should look after things for them