7 minute read
DEPARTMENT BRIEFS
€5 million additional funding for litter prevention and cleaning as Ireland prepares for an outdoor summer
• 2020 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System results show cigarette litter, packaging litter, food-related litter and plastic litter to be the main causes of litter in our communities
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, has announced €5 million in additional funding for litter infrastructure and awareness campaigns to encourage people to dispose of their rubbish thoughtfully.
As the economy re-opens, and Ireland prepares for an outdoor summer, we will enjoy a much higher level of outdoor dining and socialising, and local authorities have had to increase their spending on recycling and litter facilities.
Minister Ryan said: "I am providing this extra funding to support local authorities so we can all enjoy an outdoor summer in a pleasant environment. The funding will add more recycling and litter facilities to meet increased demand – but itʼs also up to all of us to clean up our act when it comes to litter, and make a conscious effort to leave no trace."
The Minister has sought an immediate mapping of bin infrastructure to identify optimum placement of new bins and to pin point where smart solar-compacting bins could be feasible. Minister Ryan will also seek to harmonise the local authority response to the litter issue, to centralise procurement of materials, so that quality litter pickers, gloves, dog litter bags and bins are available. The aim will be to reduce costs, reduce duplication of effort and to harmonise the quality of product.
As well as the €5 million additional funding to the Local Authorities for litter infrastructure, the Minister today confirmed that a further €3 million in funding will be provided to local authorities in support of the 2021 AntiDumping Initiative which, since its inception in 2017, has supported the delivery of over 300 projects, many involving local community groups and resulted in the removal of over 10,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from our landscape.
The Minister has also approved €225,000 in funding for An Taisce in support of an extended 2021 National Spring Clean programme, which this year will run through the summer months due to the effect of the ongoing Covid situation on their traditional timetable.
Members of the Irish Waste Management Association in every county in Ireland have agreed to work with DECC to develop proposals that will assist with litter clean ups in local communities. This will be in addition to existing efforts undertaken by local communities to deal with the litter problem and is a very welcome development. DECC will also consider what additional enforcement supports can be applied, whether legislative or financial.
Today also marks the publication of the 2020 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System (NLPMS) Results. The NLPMS Results provide important statistical data on the extent, causes and composition of litter in Ireland. In announcing the publication of the 2020 Results, Minister Ryan acknowledged the role being played by both local authorities and communities in tackling Irelandʼs litter challenges and noted new proposals to combat litter.
Minister Ryan said: "The results show that despite increased reporting of incidents of littering and illegal dumping during the Covid lockdown, the situation on the ground improved during 2020. We need to ensure that this is replicated in 2021. There was an upsurge in the number of volunteers in 2020 who gave their time to contribute to making their communities litter free and we should not take their efforts for granted. I am determined that this positive community spirit is recognised and supported and I will continue to steer investment towards programmes aimed at tackling littering and illegal dumping in a collaborative manner."
While the solutions to litter have been provided locally by communities and local authority staff, 2020 also proves that a significant source of the problem is also local. With travel restrictions, we can no longer imagine that fly-tipping is entirely the work of passing strangers.
DECC continues to promote and support a number of environmental awareness raising programmes, including the Green Schools Programme, aimed at educating our young people on all aspects of the environment and the Anti-Litter and Anti-Graffiti Awareness Grants Scheme (ALAGS) which provides funding to local authorities to support community groups and raise awareness of litter issues. ALAGS will receive circa €745,000 in 2021. The composition figures underscore the relative presence of cigarette-related litter, packaging litter, foodrelated litter and plastic litter. These are items which have associated initiatives in Irelandʼs Waste Action Plan. The introduction of the Deposit and Return Scheme should also prove to have a significant impact. The trend here will be monitored in future reports.
In summary, the 2020 National Litter Pollution Monitoring System Results reveal:
• The percentage of unpolluted (LPI 1) areas increased significantly from 17.3% in 2019 to 23.2% in 2020, while taken together, the percentage of unpolluted (LPI 1) and slightly polluted (LPI 2) areas combined increased by 1.5% over the period, indicating an improvement in litter pollution levels from 2019 to 2020
• The main constituent elements of litter pollution nationwide in 2020 were cigarette-related litter (46.5%), packaging items (21.9%), food-related litter (11%) and sweet-related litter (9.5%)
• The main causative factors of litter pollution nationally were identified as follows: passing pedestrians (40.6%), passing motorists (23.7%), retail outlets (8.7%), gathering points (5.3%) and places of leisure/entertainment (4.1%)
The 2020 NLPMS Results will be available in full on www.litter.ie
Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys allocates €10.5 million for upgrade works on rural roads and laneways
• Funding to improve access to homes, farms and outdoor amenities
• Every county to receive budget increase
• Minister Humphreys: Supporting connectivity in rural Ireland is vital
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced the allocation of €10.5 million for repairs and improvement works on nonpublic roads in rural communities. The funding, announced under the Local Improvement Scheme, will improve access to rural homes and farms, as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches.
The €10.5 million allocation represents a 5% increase compared to 2020, with every county receiving an increase.
Over €68 million has now been invested under the Local Improvement Scheme since it was re-introduced in 2017.
The focus of the scheme is to support the continued improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities but which represent a vital piece of infrastructure for rural residents.
Announcing the €10.5 million in funding, Minister Humphreys said: “As part of ʻOur Rural Futureʼ, the Government has committed to increasing the level of investment in the repair of non-public roads through the Local Improvement Scheme." “I am therefore really pleased today to announce a 5% increase in funding under the Local Improvement Scheme." “The Local Improvement Scheme is an important source of funding for small non-public roads and laneways leading to homes and farms as well as outdoor amenities such as lakes, rivers, mountains and beaches."
“Since the scheme was re-introduced in 2017, close to 2,400 roads have been funded for repair works. This has made a real difference to the lives of over 10,000 landowners and residents in rural Ireland." Minister Humphreys added:
“I know there is a significant demand for funding under the Local Improvement Scheme right across the country. That is why I am today announcing increased funding for every county under the scheme, however, I am acutely aware that more is needed. I am working to identify if additional funding can be provided for LIS in 2021 and I would therefore urge each Local Authority to utilise the funding announced today, and complete the repair works on the selected roads, as soon as possible." “This would position them well to undertake repairs on additional roads before the end of the year should further funding become available”.
The allocation to each county under the Local Improvement Scheme for 2021 is set out below. Local Authorities are responsible for identifying and prioritising roads for improvement works under the scheme, in consultation with residents/landowners.
The funding provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development will be complemented by a local financial contribution from landowners/householders, as well as Local Authority resources.
There will be a cap of €1,200 on the amount that any individual householder or landowner will be asked to contribute towards the cost of repairs to their road.
County Amount Carlow €270,000 Cavan €289,254
Clare €500,811
Cork €920,000
Donegal Galway Kerry Kildare €697,456 €876,959 €689,930 €270,000
Kilkenny Laois €308,905 €270,000
Leitrim €270,000
Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford €798,496 €346,394 €270,000 €298,871 €375,104 €276,154 €619,969 €278,802 €276,433 €349,878
Wicklow
Total
€302,494
€10,500,000
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