Communities called on to clean up as part of campaign

Community and residents associations in Cork City are being advised to get ready for an annual national spring clean next month.

Bags and gloves will be handed out to any groups looking to organise a clean-up in their area

Organised by An Taisce, the campaign is targeting four of the city’s major litter problems: Chewing gum stuck to the ground; cigarette butts discarded on pavements; graffiti; and dog faeces.

A spokesman for Cork City Council said: “We’d just like people to know that bags for the collection of dog faeces are available free of charge from City Hall to all holders of current dog licences within Cork City Council’s administrative area.”

Last year, Cork City Council issued 1,292 on-the-spot fines. Seventy prosecutions were taken, with 66 successful. On-the-spot fines for littering are €150, with a maximum court fine of €3,000.

The campaign, organised by An Taisce and funded by the Department of the Environment, Community, and Local Government, encourages every sector of society to take part by conducting clean-ups in their local environment.

Children and younger people, many already involved in the schools’ Green Flag initiative, make up a sizeable section of this volunteer army.

In 2010, an estimated 1,675 tonnes of litter was collected nationwide, 35% of which was recycled.

A total of six tonnes of waste was collected during a mammoth clean-up of the coast of Cork.

* Any requests for assistance with clean-ups should be made in writing to the Street Cleaning and Litter Management, Room 232, City Hall, Cork.