‘Binge dumping’ proving to be a major problem for the town
‘BINGE dumping’ is ruining the town of Drogheda - because Louth County Council are not getting organised in terms of catching those responsible.
After a Christmas holiday ‘epidemic’ of discarded bottles, bags, clothes and household rubbish, local councillor Paul Bell says the time has come for real action.
‘I am on the record on several occasions over the past year and in particular in the weeks leading to Christmas that Louth County Council’s response to domestic waste dumping in our town which growing to epidemic proportions is not adequate and that the continued failure to prosecute citizens involved in such disgusting behaviour is encouraging even more illegal dumping.
‘And that lack of resources in both personnel and technologies is allowing those who have no regard for the environment to literally dump at will,’ he stated this week.
He said he was ‘shocked’ to see the state of bottle banks in the town which were overflowing in the days after Christmas but were not emptied until last Friday after numerous complaints from locals to the council.
Bell noted that dumping at sites such as Mell, the Donore Industrial estate and King Street was also heavy and that Council staff cleaned the areas around the bins every day after St Stephen’s Day. ‘ Termonfeckin had no bottle bank service available from the weekend before Christmas eve which is totally unacceptable,’ he added.
“What was also disappointing was the volume of black plastic refuse sacks dumped in Scholes Lane, Bessexwell Lane, Batchelor’s Lane, King Street and Ballsgrove Green. The dumping involved was the worst witnessed and so bad was it I received calls on Christmas Eve, St Stephen’s Day and subsequent days from citizens demanding a response, not only to clean the area, but also demanding Council to conduct an investigation into what is a crime.
‘I intend to raise this issue again at the January meeting of Drogheda Municipal Borough meeting for the purpose of demanding Council to once and for all adopt a clear strategy in tackling the issue of illegal dumping and those responsible for it’.