COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 13, 2010

QUESTION NO. 2

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

To ask the Manager, in view of the recent negative results in the IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) survey for many parts of South County Dublin in particular Tallaght's poor performance could the Manager give a report outlining how this Council proposes to actively address and improve this poor performance?

REPLY:

The results of the IBAL survey are noted.  While the overall ranking for Tallaght is regrettable, the ranking of Lucan shows what the efforts of the various stakeholders can achieve in this survey.

Analysis of the results is being undertaken to address the issues pertaining to the specific sites in both Tallaght and Lucan in this survey.  It should be noted that the weighting applied within these surveys, together with the selection criteria and survey items at sites means that a poor rating in a small number of the overall sites surveyed can significantly reduce an overall standing.

The actual report from IBAL is shown below.  It should be noted that none of these sites were categorised as "Litter Blackspots".  

 

Tallaght ByPass form M50 Roundabout:  Moderately Littered.  This was a very mixed site – some parts of the route were clean and clear of litter and other  parts were littered to the extent that it was nearly a serious litter problem – a wide variety of litter was present.

 

Westpark:  Serious Litter Problem.  There was a serious litter problem around the perimeter of the grasslands – heavy levels of a wide variety of litter lay a the base of the boundary wall and fence.

 

Tallaght M50 Roundabout Approach:  Serious Litter Problem.  This was a really poor site – ‘old’ litter (primarily plastic bottles, mineral cans etc.) dominated the roundabout and hedging and grasslands close-by.  No improvement noted at this site.

 

Various link roads through The Square complex:  Moderately Littered.  There was a very definite litter presence throughout the interconnecting roads within the Square complex – a wide variety of litter was scattered throughout.

 

Lidl:  Serious Litter Problem.  As well as loose litter in the car parking area there was a significant litter problem in the boundary flower bed – much of the litter was food related e.g. cans, plastic bottles, fast-food wrappers etc.

 

Area at Metro:  Moderately Littered.  This site just missed getting the top litter grade – with a little extra effort it could easily be a top ranking site.

 

Entrance to Pedestrian entrance to Institute of Technology, Tallaght:  Moderately Littered.  The low-lying flower bed was riddled with litter and an area through a closed gate was also very poor – all of it was food related litter.  This was despite the provision of at least five litter bins in the area surveyed.

 

Tallaght Village:  Moderately Littered.  Another littered site in Tallaght – it was particularly poor at the traffic lights at the by-pass.  There was also litter at the bus stops and outside various business premises and banks.

 

Old Bawn Road Approach:  Moderately Littered.  The bus stops, hedges, footpaths and grass areas were all littered – a very casual attitude pervades this area.

 

Area beside Recycle Facility at Abberly Court Hotel:  Moderately Littered.  The grass area in front of the railings had sweet papers, cans and plastic bottles and generally appeared to lack maintenance.  Who is legally responsible?

 

 Efforts continue to be made by the Council to tackle the problem individual sites identified by IBAL that are in both public and private ownership.  To this end the local Litter Warden for the Tallaght area is currently preparing a report on the specific sites referred to in the report so that effective action can be taken.  In addition, the wider issue of litter will continue to be addressed in conjunction with the community, schools, businesses and individuals under the specific guidelines provided by An Taisce together with the Council's Litter Management Plan.   It is hoped that everyone can play their part and support Tallaght by preventing littering in the first instance.