Still no Pure Project funding announced
THE future of the Pure Project remains in limbo with no written confirmation yet received to verify funding so the environmental project can continue.
The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment usually confirm funding in December but no announcement has yet been made regarding the Pure Project, even though it is now February.
The project was officially launched in September 2006 to combat illegal dumping and fly-tipping in the Wicklow and Dublin Uplands. It was the first partnership project of its kind in Ireland and incorporates statutory and non-statutory organisations, including Wicklow County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, South Dublin County Council, Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Wicklow Uplands Council.
Pure Project Manager Ian Davis is still waiting for written confirmation from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment that funding will still be provided to allow the project to continue.
‘I have received verbal confirmation that we will be continuing but I am still waiting for that confirmation in writing. The verbal confirmation was due to all our success over the past 14 years. In that time we have cleaned up over 3,500 tonnes of rubbish and waste. Last year we collected 150 tonnes of waste, which is the lowest amount of rubbish we have collected in one year. It’s a clear indicator of just how well the project is working. We are recording every dumping location we find and it is working,’ said Mr Davis.
The recent General Election may have something to do with the delay in announcing funding. Part of the Pure Project’s success has been the Pure Mile Awards, whereby communities and groups living in rural areas are encouraged to adopt a mile, or miles, of road, and keep this area litter and rubbish free. They also research information about their local wildflowers, plants, trees, animals, and the built, cultural, and social heritage of an area.
‘Our first Pure Mile involved five miles. Last year we covered 550 miles, involving over 2,500 volunteers,’ stated Mr Davis.
‘It just shows how much things have grown. The Pure Mile is one of the main reasons the Pure Project has been such a success and is now one of the biggest environmental projects in Ireland. The Pure Mile has resulted in us engaging with all demographics and different communities throughout Wicklow. The Pure Mile demonstrates that people want to make a difference to the environment, and Pure gives them the assistance, so they can make that difference,’ said Mr Davis.