Disgust at ‘dangerous’ dumping
A ‘lack of concern for other people’s safety’ is resulting in safety gloves being discarded all over the paths and streets of Gorey.
Council worker Denis White said he is ‘appalled’ by the amount of gloves he is finding on the streets and said they constitute half of all the litter he is picking up on a daily basis.
‘I’d say about 50 per cent of the stuff I’m picking up at the moment is plastic gloves,’ said Mr White. ‘It’s a danger and a disgrace, it’s absolutely appalling. A child could quite easily pick those up.’
And Mr White believes those discarding the gloves don’t care about the welfare of others.
‘It comes down to a lack of concern for other people’s safety. It’s extraordinary that people are discarding them so readily.’
ONE OF the men tasked with keeping Gorey tidy during these unprecedented times has said he is appalled by the amount of plastic gloves being discarded on the streets.
Denis White is employed by the Municipal District and patrols the streets of the town making sure littering is kept to a minimum. However, he said a new and disturbing trend has begun to emerge over the past couple of weeks.
‘I’d say about 50 per cent of the stuff I’m picking up at the moment is plastic gloves. It’s a danger and a disgrace, it’s absolutely appalling. A child could quite easily pick those up.
‘I walk from the monument to Warren’s every day and there’s gloves everywhere. The worst thing about it is there’s a bin every 20 paces, it wouldn’t be hard to throw the gloves in there,’ Denis said.
With gloves now readily available free of charge at the entrances to most supermarkets and chemists, Denis believes people have become somewhat blasé about their worth, happy to discard them wherever they see fit.
‘I think it comes down to a lack of concern for other people’s safety. I find it extraordinary that people are discarding them so readily,’ he said.
‘I haven’t seen as many facemasks out and around, only a couple, but I think that’s because you have to pay for them. People are getting the gloves for free and just throwing them away.
‘Please respect other people’s safety. I wouldn’t expect an adult to pick them up but a child easily could.’
Having had his hours cut substantially, Denis is now working just two hours per day rather than the 8-5 he’s used to. But he is keeping safe when he does go out.
‘In terms of my own safety, I have a mask, gloves, and then leather gloves on top of them. I touch nothing, I use the picker and everything goes into a black sack.
‘There’s generally not many people around. But these [discarded] gloves are a danger, there’s a real lack of concern for others, for the health and safety of others, and it’s not good enough.’
Echoing Denis’ sentiments, Michael Drea, District Manager of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District, said: ‘Our cleaning crews in Gorey have noticed a sharp increase in items such as protective gloves, wipes etc. being discarded on the street. Given the current public health crisis, I ask all people to dispose of such items responsibly and use the bins provided.’
Highlighting another emerging trend, newly elected member of Seanad Éireann, Senator Malcolm Byrne, said those who were taking advantage of the lockdown to dump illegally should be imprisoned.
‘I’m concerned that some irresponsible members of society are using these difficult times to dump or fly tip. This has been a problem for a while but doing it now is particularly disgusting,’ said Senator Byrne.
‘Those who are caught, and they will be, deserve serious sanction. Personally, I favour imprisoning those involved in illegal dumping – they have no care as to the damage they are doing to the environment, to animal health and even potentially, to human health.
‘The environment section of the council has been excellent in trying to tackle this but they need public help. All information should be shared with them in confidence,’ he concluded.