Amnesty to stop waste ending up on bonfires proves a major success
By: Louise Walsh
Thousands of people availed of a Halloween amnesty at recycling centres across Meath at the weekend, organised in a bid to stop combustible waste ending up on bonfires.
An estimated 2000 people visited the civic amenity centres in Navan, Trim, Kells and Dunboyne to dispose of beds, mattresses, headboards, couches, tables and chairs for just a two euro entry fee on Friday and Saturday
The bulky items would usually incur a cost of between ten and twenty-five euro each at the centres
All visitors had to carry identification with them to prove that they lived in Meath, in order to avail of the amnesty
Meath Co Council Environmental Officer Bernadine Carry said the amnesty was a huge success
"It was our first time to do this and I have to say the uptake from people was just astounding," she said
"On Friday alone, we took in almost 1,000 couches, beds and mattresses and a large amount of chairs
"Every year, couches and mattresses and other combustible waste end up on bonfires from people either trying to get rid of them for free or by kids who find them discarded on properties.
"So this was our way of trying to divert this material from bonfires and recycle them in an environmentally friendly way
"We try to discourage bonfires for safety reasons and also because of the harmful emissions to the environment."
Meath Co. Council's litter warden Alan Nolan said there was a huge array of materials being dropped at the centres across the county
"I was at the Navan civic amenity site and staff were run off their feet all day. There was a constant flow of traffic.
"We estimated that there were 150 sofas, almost 200 mattresses and even a 40 cubic meter skip filled with garden and kitchen furniture here alone
"It was fantastic to see so many people avail of the amnesty. Over the last few years, I've noticed that the number of bonfires has reduced dramatically and I think this is because of initiatives like this and also people are becoming more aware of their effects on the environment through education and social media channels."