This article is from page 14 of the 2006-06-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
AN investigation into illegal dumping on local authority land in Kilrush Town has pointed to a break down in communication within the council.
Rubbish made up of soil, stone and various wastes was discovered by a member of the public on council lands on the Cooraclare Road across from the Teagasc Office at the end of last month.
Kilrush Town Clerk Fiona Mooney said, “The waste material was gathered arising from a community clean up of a back lane. It was separated into the various waste streams and all of it was brought to the licensed waste transfer station at Lisdeen.
“However, as some of the waste was mixed with soil and stone, it could not be accepted into Lisdeen’s compactor unit. Those two trailer roads were then brought back to Council land in Kilrush and inappropriately disposed of, contrary to local authority policy,” Ms Mooney admitted.
The Town Council was alerted to the waste disposal on the Cooraclare Road after receiving a complaint from a member of the public on May 30. The complaint was acknowledged immediately and within a working week, the matter was investigated and the waste had been appropriately disposed.
The waste was removed from the town council lands and disposed of at the Central Waste Management Facility at Ballyduff Beg within a working week of becoming aware of the matter.
Ms Mooney acknowledged that there had been a breakdown in communication on local authority policy. “I acknowledge that the incident should not have happened in the first instance and I have taken steps to ensure it will not happen again. I have now communicated Kilrush Town Council’s policy on waste right through to everyone at all grades and levels”, she stated.
Earlier in the week Clare County Council had issued an appeal to all customers using the Central Waste Management Facility at Ballyduff Beg, Inagh and recycling centres at Ennis, Scariff and Lisdeen to adequately cover trailers and waste. Anyone who failed to do so could face prosecution under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, the statement said.