New campaign will advise Cork City residents on how to avoid litter fines 

Cork City Council will distribute information leaflets to thousands of households and businesses over the coming days, explaining its waste presentation bye-laws, which were adopted in 2019

A public information campaign is being launched across Cork City to advise people on how to avoid potential litter fines when putting out their bins

A public information campaign is being launched across Cork City to advise people on how to avoid potential litter fines when putting out their bins.

It comes just days after the Irish Examiner revealed that a homeowner on the Boreenmanna Rd has been hit with a €150 fine for not fully closing the lids of two slightly overloaded wheelie bins.

The fines are being challenged by the homeowner.

Cork City Council said on Thursday it would distribute information leaflets to thousands of households and businesses over the coming days, explaining its waste presentation bye-laws, which were adopted in 2019.

Bye-laws

The bye-laws, which govern the segregation and presentation of waste by households or businesses for collection, state that wheelie bins should not be overloaded and the lid of the bin should be closed; and that no waste should be presented for collection on top of the lid of the bin or next to it.

The wheelie bins on the Boreenmanna Rd in Cork, which led to the homeowners facing a €150 litter fine.

In the city centre, the bye-laws prohibit the presentation of waste and recycling bins for collection before 3am on the designated waste collection day, and state they should be removed by no later than 2pm that day.

The bye-laws also place an onus on homeowners to retain documentation, including receipts, for at least a year as proof that waste has been disposed of in accordance with the bye-laws.

The bye-laws were designed following public consultation to ensure all citizens dispose of their waste by using an authorised waste contractor, by taking it to an authorised waste facility or by sharing bins by agreement.

€75 fixed payment notice 

And they provide for the issuing of a €75 fixed payment notice for breaches of the bye-laws.

The council’s director of operations David Joyce said the emphasis of the information campaign was to reinforce and remind residents and businesses of their responsibilities.

“This is a follow-up to the significant public engagement campaign that was undertaken when the bye-laws were enacted,” he said.

“The new bye-laws have now been in operation for two years and so it is an opportune time to re-engage with communities and Cork City Council asks all citizens, households and businesses to familiarise themselves with the contents of the leaflet as it is only by working in partnership together that we can create a cleaner Cork for us all to enjoy.”