LIMERICK City and County Council advised all community groups, tidy towns’ groups and residents’ associations not to organise community clean-ups and litter picks, citing public health grounds.
A Council spokesman said that due to Covid-19 guidance and restrictions as well as the Council concentrating on the provision of essential services, the joint local authority “is not in a position to facilitate such initiatives including the collection of the resulting rubbish and litter”.
“The Council is not in a position to endorse any activities that are seen to be in breach of the restrictions currently in place on public health grounds,” the spokesman said.
“The SuperValu Tidy Towns competition for 2020 has been cancelled in the interests of public health and safety.For now, we are calling on our Tidy Towns groups throughout the county to stay at home.”
“Some groups have enquired about planting, as they had pre-ordered plants prior to the Covid-19 restrictions. Again, Limerick City and County Council cannot endorse any group activities that are in conflict with the current guidelines that are in place. Covid-19 guidelines must be followed at all times,” they added.
The Council advised that certain work could be carried out safely including:
- behind the scenes planning – updating your 3-5 year plans
- listing projects you have undertaken since June 2019 – keep a list of these projects under the relevant Tidy Towns categories
- Review, choose and save photographs under relevant headings.
- Make plans for the 2021 competition
- Everyone can help continue to maintain their own homes and gardens using your regular waste collection to dispose of any rubbish
The Council stressed that, “staying at home is the best way to minimise the risk of Covid-19 to your friends, families and communities”, and advised people to follow HSE and government guidance in relation to Covid-19 by visiting gov.ie or hse.ie
