COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 11, 2013

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Manager to provide a report on the costs associated with bonfire clean-ups, education programmes and other programmes around Hallowe'en 2013, and to make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

The 2013 Safe Halloween campaign included a number of initiatives to lessen the extent of environmental damage at this time of the year.

Supports were available to communities and schools to celebrate and participate in Halloween activities -

•  All schools in the County received a Halloween pack and Halloween workshops took place in libraries throughout the County
• Talks in conjunction with Gardai and the Fire brigade were arranged in schools. 
• 194 community groups and residents association involved in the Social Credits programme were rewarded with free passes to the civic amenity, Ballymount in October. 
• 43 groups received bulbs to plant in the Bulbs not Bonfires scheme.
• The Council also arranged door to door delivery of Safe Halloween notices  reminding people of cost of clean ups and its impact on resources.
• Almost 100 tonnes of WEEE was collected from door to door collections organised by Clondalkin Community Recycling Initiative in association with local communities and resident associations.
• Key businesses were contacted in relation to their responsibilities in relation to waste management and disposal.

The cost of  this educational aspect of Halloween was approximately €3,000  which is down considerably on previous years.

There were approximately 300 bonfires throughout the county this Halloween. This compares to a total count of 380 bonfires in 2012. This represents an estimated reduction of 21% in the number of bonfires since last year. The clean up cost therefore is estimated to be correspondingly lower than last year. The clean up cost for 2012 was €63,409 and is estimated to be €50,093 for 2013.