Donegal County Council has been asked to roll out a pilot scheme of special litter bins that accommodate pizza boxes.
With many of Donegal’s public litter bins having narrow openings to prevent misuse, the council heard there is an issue where pizza boxes are being jammed into bins and creating blockages.
At this week’s plenary council meeting, County Councillor Joy Beard called for a new strategy to address littering in Donegal and to support Tidy Towns committees.
The 100% Redress councillor called for three-part strategy to include a social media-led campaign promoting clean communities and respect for public spaces. It proposes clear signage in busy areas to remind people to dispose of waste properly. Cllr Beard also called for a pilot of specially designed litter bins for pizza boxes in selected locations to stop them jamming standard bins, aiming to reduce street litter and improve waste collection.
“These are simple low-cost steps that can make a difference to the appearance and cleanliness of our public spaces,” said Cllr Beard.
“Currently we do not have a road sweeping contract in place in Buncrana and I am hoping that will be resolved soon. It’s a very serious concern for a town of its size especially as tourism season begins.”
Following the passing of Cllr Beard’s motion, Donegal County Council agreed to actively explore the option of street litter bins that can accommodate pizza boxes, including liaising with other local authorities and bin providers.
Mr Michael McGarvey, A/Director of Water and Environment, said that littering is a challenge which requires different approaches in different circumstances.
“Some of our beaches where we have removed bins altogether, we had far less rubbish than when we had up to 40 bins,” McGarvey said.
On the issue of pizza boxes, McGarvey commented that open and close style bins could be considered.
He said it was extremely important to recognise and thank the 5,500 volunteers in community groups and Tidy Towns Committees who work tirelessly in collaboration with the Council in our journey to ensuring that Donegal is the cleanest and greenest county in Ireland.
