Call for volunteers to give Kerry a spring clean

Volunteers all around Co Kerry will take part in a major clean-up and litter-picking operation tomorrow.

Local residents, schools and community groups are being asked to take part with a view to making Kerry the cleanest county in Ireland, according to Kerry County Council environment awareness officer Michael Ó Coileáin.

The hope is to build on the success of Killarney, outright winner in the 2011 Tidy Towns competition.

The Kerry County Clean Up is bringing every town and village together to conduct a clean up.

KWD Recycling, which recently took over waste collection from the council, is sponsoring the clean-up, which is being run in conjunction with An Taisce.

Volunteers will receive clean-up packs, including reflective jackets and refuse sacks. These will later be collected from designated locations by KWD.

With the support of the council, more local groups in Kerry are taking responsibility for ensuring their own areas are kept litter-free.

Last weekend dozens of people took part in an annual Easter clean-up of the seaside resort of Ballyheigue, filling almost 200 plastic bags with rubbish.