Michael Moynihan: Waste is a big challenge — we can't just bin personal responsibilities

There are plenty of hi-tech answers to the problem of waste, once the rubbish is disposed of

In Cork, there are now de facto open-air meeting spots, al fresco festivals organising themselves spontaneously in locations as various as the Lough (above), Bell’s Field, Kennedy Quay, and elsewhere. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned one of the great blights of urban life here, the presence of dog waste in the city — paths and parks. Here, there, and everywhere.

On that note, my thanks to the reader who got in touch to tell me that New York was one of the very first places to introduce legislation tackling this problem back in the 70s. Legend has it that there was a big increase in deposits because in the crime-ridden city of the time, more and more people bought dogs — and bigger dogs — for security purposes.