THERE has been an increased level of public littering in town centres, fly-tipping in the countryside, and the flagrant misuse of street bins for domestic waste, since the Covid-19 lockdown began and amenity sites’ opening times have been curtailed.
Readers of The Southern Star from all over West Cork have highlighted the situation which is so bad that streets which are normally cleaned by the Council every few days, need to be done daily.
The Council’s chief executive Tim Lucey appealed to people to dispose of their domestic waste responsibly, after he confirmed that the region’s civic amenity sites have re-opened.Under normal circumstances, Mr Lucey said, streetscapes are cleaned every two to three days, but now they need to be cleaned on a daily basis such is the proliferation of rubbish.
‘There is no excuse for using street bins to get rid of domestic waste. It is also a public health concern,’ he said.
The chief executive warned that the situation would be monitored and that illegal dumping could result in on-the-spot fines and prosecution through the courts.
Opening times at local bring sites have had to be curtailed due to the Covid-19 crisis, and many believe that this led to the increase in illegal fly-tipping.
