Lord Mayor defends Cork after the city was branded ‘seriously littered’
€50,000 was spent on cleaning it up last year.
However, Mahon still joins Cork city centre in the “seriously littered” category of the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) rankings.
According to the survey, Mahon is one of few areas in the country that was found to have deteriorated again since last year.
Now Cork’s Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Forde has issued a statement on the matter, saying the neighbourhood in question has been tackled by clean-up crews recently but continues to be problematic, despite the Council’s best efforts.
“The classification of Cork City as littered does not reflect the hard work and dedication of the City Council’s street sweeping crews who work outside in all weather seven days a week from early morning to late in the evening,” said Cllr. Forde.
“It is also important to say that the IBAL survey is a snapshot of particular selected areas of the City based on two surveys a year.
“Despite our efforts and that of the many community groups who take great pride in their community by organising regular clean-ups, a number of areas remain which continue to be problematic in terms of litter and dumping, such as some parts of Mahon.
“This is despite significant resources and engagement with communities to tackle littering, dog fouling and illegal dumping in the area.”
‘We cannot solve the problem of littering on our own’
Cork City Council, with support from the Department, carried out a major clean-up operation last year in the Ringmahon area at a cost in excess of €50,000.
“Cork City Council has a continuing role in the upkeep of the public realm however, we cannot solve the problem of littering on our own.” Cllr Forde added.
“Tackling the issue must be done in conjunction and partnership with all residents and stakeholders. An element of personal responsibility must be brought to bear to resolve the scourge of littering and illegal dumping.”
Last year, Cork City Council carried out a large number of anti-littering initiatives including free skips to help residents with bulky goods disposal, free mattress collections and free hazardous waste collection.
Over 50 solar compactor bins were also installed in the City Centre at a cost of approximately €250,000.
“It is also worth noting that the IBAL scoring of the City Centre consisted of 10 Grade A, 6 Grade B, 5 Grade C and 4 Grade D, We also note that a number of the areas ranked are not located in Cork City Centre, such as the Dunkettle Interchange (which is a major construction site), Kinsale Road Roundabout, the N20 Commons Road and the North Ring Road,” added Cllr Forde.
