·         Adoption of Draft Litter Management Plan

Cllr. Marty McDermott, Chairperson of the Climate Action, Environment, Rural Water SPC, introduced the presentation of the Draft Litter Management Plan, which had recently been approved at the SPC meeting, and asked Members for their support in adopting the plan. He outlined that the plan was aligned to key policy documents to ensure a cleaner, safer, healthier county.

Sabrina Lawless, Administrative Officer in the Environment Department, delivered a presentation on the Draft Litter Management Plan.

In the presentation, she outlined the following:

• Roscommon County Council is obliged to make and implement a Litter Management Plan as set out in Section 10 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 (as amended) in order to set forth our objectives as an authority to prevent and control litter, include public awareness with a view to eliminating litter pollution and provide information on existing policies, programmes, facilities/services and steps to be taken by local authority to enforce the provisions of the Litter Pollution Act.
• The plan was developed with input from the SPC and public consultation. It provides a clear actionable framework for litter prevention and management and signals the Council’s commitment to cleaner, more sustainable communities.
• The plan required three phases: the drafting phase, the statutory consultation phase, and the adoption phase.
• The four objectives of the plan are education and awareness, enforcement and prevention, community and business partnerships and services and facilities.
• Progress updates on the plan will be provided through the SPC.
• Annual reporting will be completed in line with the Litter Pollution Act requirements.
• Regular reviews of performance indicators such as The National Litter Pollution Monitoring System and Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) will be carried out.
• The environment department will use complaints data and enforcement statistics for reporting and engage with community groups for local feedback.

Members thanked Ms. Lawless for the informative presentation and discussed the following:

• Views were expressed that fines for illegal dumping should be increased, as the cost of clearing the litter—after deducting any fines—can still cost the Council, even if the case goes to court.
• Recognition for Tidy Town groups, litter wardens and the environment section for their hard work on the issue.
• Acknowledgment that education of the issue should start in primary school.
• Acknowledgment that compost bins will be rolled out to all households by the end of the year.
• Praise for the reverse register initiative, although there are concerns that there is a GDPR issue within the reverse register initiative.
• It was advised that CCTV in blackspots would help greatly.
• Suggestion that dog fouling bags should be made more available throughout the county.
• Praise for the adopt a road/bring bank initiatives.
• Acknowledgment that litter is reducing but that it is still a major issue.
• Concern that the emptying of public bins on the weekends and Bank Holidays needs to be more frequent.
• Return deposit scheme bins for cans/bottles can be sought for events/festivals.
• Suggestion of ‘No Dogs Allowed’ signs to be erected in graveyards.
• Concern that street cleaning machines were promised in the past but not delivered.
• The market for recycled clothing has changed, other countries no longer want recycled clothing which is leading to clothes bins overflowing. Even though these bins are privately owned, there is a perception that the Council owns them.
• A number of councilors attended a recent gum litter roadshow recently run by the Department of Environment which was very informative. They learned that gum litter is down from 70% to 3%.
• It was asked if Ms. Lawless could circulate further information on the reverse register after the meeting.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fitzmaurice

           SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to seek funding for solar compactable bins in public areas.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Fallon

           SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED that the Climate Action, Environment, Rural Water SCP and environment department would relook at the policy in relation to clothes banks.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Callaghan requested that Standing Orders needed to be extended in order to continue the meeting.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Connolly

           SECONDED by Cllr. Keogh

It was AGREED that Standing Orders were extended until 5.50pm.

Ms. Lawless advised that information was sought from waste collectors to identify the service/number of bins at each Eircode and this is reversed to identify Eircodes without a bin service so that they can be targeted. She noted that while there is a GDPR concern regarding CCTV, the Council has made significant progress in this area. She added that great initiatives such as the Green Schools Competition and Green Flag initiatives help educate children about environmental awareness at a young age. She also noted that there is a textile recycling crisis in Ireland which the environment section will aim to address with industry and government collaboration.

Ms. Lawless also explained that the fine for illegal dumping is €150 and if the case proceeds to court, the fine could be up to €4,000. A question was asked regarding the most recent court case and how much the fine was. She advised that the fines are case-dependent and explained that the solicitor’s fees cost €750 and the offender was required to also pay a donation of €400 to a Tidy Town group in their locality.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Callaghan thanked Ms. Lawless for her presentation and acknowledged the Tidy Town groups around the county for the work they carry out in this area. He expressed frustration over litter being dumped on private property and emphasised the need for stricter law enforcement and harsher penalties.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. McDermott

           SECONDED by Cllr. Bryne

It was AGREED to adopt the Draft Litter Management Plan 2025-2027.