Discarded gloves add to littering in county
37 PLASTIC GLOVES FOUND ON A 2KM STRETCH OF ROAD AS LITTER LEVELS INCREASE DURING CRISIS
BLESSINGTON Tidy Towns group say they have noticed a rise in the incidents of littering involving single use plastic gloves.
While many of us have started to wear plastic gloves while out and about for essential trips or exercise, it appears a minority are discarding them as litter.
Speaking to this paper, Jason Mulhall of Blessington Tidy Towns said volunteers had noticed a rise in plastic gloves littering walkways and roads in the town. They also reported many instances of dog litter bags being discarded.
‘On Sunday, April 5, I was out for my walk within 2 km of my home and decided to do a litter pick while I was out. I collected 37 gloves while on my walk in the area of Burgage and Troopersfield. Other members also said they had collected gloves on their roads.’
The Covid-19 crisis has made it more challenging for the Tidy Towns volunteers in Blessington and other towns and villages in Wicklow to keep their areas looking their best.
Mr Mulhall said a number of Blessington Tidy Towns volunteers had carried out solo litter picks while out for their daily exercise on Sunday.
‘Volunteers were suited and booted. Volunteers were wearing gloves and picked up any litter using a litter picker. Any litter collected was placed in a plastic bag to be disposed of correctly. Volunteers followed guidelines and washed their hands before and after going out. We’d normally work in groups, but volunteers went out individually as part of their daily exercise within 2 km of their home,’ Mr Mulhall said.
Volunteers may carry out further solo litter picks in the Blessington area while observing the current restrictions.
Meanwhile, Wicklow County Council recently issued an appeal for people to dispose of litter appropriately.
In a post on social media, the local authority described littering as ‘irresponsible during this Covid-19 epidemic. Items like gloves, wipes and tissues dumped on roads and streets are upsetting for many in the community as they can spread the virus. Nobody should have to pick up someone else’s waste. Dispose of all waste in a bin.’