COUNCILLORS described littering across the city and county as a “slap in the face” to the 10,000 people that participated in the hugely successful Team Limerick Clean-Up this year.
Fifty-three litter louts were prosecuted by Limerick City and County Council in 2017. Eleven of these were in the Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District, with 25 prosecutions currently in progress this year.
Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey believes there should be jail sentences for offenders and suggested CCTV cameras could help solve the issue.
“You can buy a camera for €300 on eBay and put it up in a tree,” he suggested.
It was explained to him that you could not put CCTV cameras everywhere, and that offenders simply move to a new location once cameras are put in place.
Independent councillor Richard O’Donoghue felt that every householder should be held accountable to show where there refuse is going.
Mayor Stephen Keary praised the work done by the JP McManus Great Limerick Clean-Up in the last four years but felt there needed to be a change in legislation to see tougher measures enforced.
“The day after the Great Limerick Clean-Up on Easter Saturday the hooligans are back to the takeaway and the supermarket. It is despairing stuff,” he added.
Fianna Fail councillor Kevin Sheahan also felt that littering was a serious issue and proposed that the council look into purchasing up to a dozen machines for recycling trays of cans.
“We are being critical of the public’s behaviour. Ocean’s are being destroyed by plastics and whole families of whales are being killed,” he declared.
by Tom McCullough
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