One community's war on litter

They came out in force, braving cold, wintry conditions in what was the latest battle in the war against litter.

They are a group of dedicated people in Walterstown who over this weekend sacrificed hours of their spare time to embark on a community clean-up spearheaded by chief organiser of the clean-up and leading figure in the local community - Carmel Duffy.

The volunteers gathered at the carpark at the Church in Walterstown yesterday morning and again today before walking around the roads of the locality and picking up whatever litter they came across.

And what they encountered as they went about the task was at times remarkable, ranging from the ubiquitous plastic bottles to dirty nappies.

"I simply can't believe all the coffee cups and plastic bottles that are simply thrown into ditches and along road margins.

"We have found pieces of furniture thrown out, a typewriter even, it's unbelievable what you would find on the side of the road.

"One that got me was a big cardboard box a big cardboard box and it was full of food from a restaurant, all pre-packed, with the plastic covers over it, a huge amount of it in a big box. It's just disgusting what's on the roads, the amounts of tyres and hubcaps is unbelievable. It beggers belief how bad it is."

It is expected that by the time the latest the clean-up is concluded today there will be well over 100 rubbish bags collected on the various routes in what is a very rural area.

The huge amount of rubbish collected underlines the very formidable problem many communities face in trying to keep their estates and areas clean - and as Carmel Duffy suggested an answer to the problem could be found in the way other countries grapple with the problem.

"I was talking to my daughter Maria from Australia last night and telling her about our own efforts to clean up the area. She was saying that in Australia you wouldn't see rubbish simply thrown around as you find here.

"She made the point that in Australia there is a levy on plastic bottles and cans so if you bring them back to the stores you will get your 10 cent back or whatever.

"She said it's very effective, you wouldn't see a can, in fact, it's not unusual to see people rooting in recycling bins to collect cans and bottles to get the money back from the shops.

"There was a time, years ago in our country when you could get money back for bottles and it was a very effective way of ensuring people simply didn't throw them away. Milk bottles, everything went back, everything was returned."

She feels something needs to be done in terms of passing legislation to deal with this real problem.

Carmel Duffy also added that she was very encouraged with the way her community responded to her call to arms.

"I would like to say a big thank you to all the people who came out and spent their weekend picking up the litter."

"I was absolutely delighted with the number of people who turned out and very grateful for their time and commitment, it is really very encouraging and shows people want to tackle this problem."