The Cats Out of the Bag… well at least on it!
Yesterday saw the launch of the County Councils and KKB new initiative to get more people involved in keeping their own areas clean. The black and amber bags are the perfect size for minor litter on approach roads, or if you can just walking or on the bike.
Why not join those who are helping keep Kilkenny as beautiful as it should be.
Phone/text 086 2514041 for any queries.
Litter offenders, think twice, the Council is Watching You………
Kilkenny County Council has increased its enforcement capacity by purchasing additional specialised cameras which are in constant use at various locations throughout the County. Deployed at ‘Litter
Hot Spots’ the cameras allow continuous 24 hour monitoring. The Council secured a litter prosecution last month using evidence captured on a camera. A Kilkenny City resident was fined
€300 and ordered to pay legal costs of €518. The evidence presented in court was camera footage that clearly revealed the defendant dumping rubbish onto a road verge.
Since the installation of the new technology, it has captured footage of approximately 70 litter offenders using the cameras. Each litter offence is subject to a litter fine of €150. Failure to pay the
fine may lead to heavier penalties (up to €3,000 in the District Court), as the Kilkenny resident discovered last month. The cameras have been particularly effective at bottle banks. Two bottle
banks which have been notorious litter black spots in the city are yielding on average 5 fines per week and illegal dumping has notably decreased at both locations. After numerous public complaints about the constant volume of refuse dumped adjacent to the bottle banks in
Graiguenamanagh, cameras were recently put in place and have already resulted in eight litter fines.
While it is regrettable to take such enforcement action, it is considered necessary as it’s the only sustainable method to combat illegal dumping and teach offenders a hard lesson; it’s cheaper to
dispose of your refuse in an appropriate manner through a waste collection service or at an amenity centre than to fly tip your waste and risk being caught and fined.
Illegal dumping on public lands can be reported to Kilkenny County Council on the litter line 1800-200-156. All calls are logged, investigated by the enforcement team and then cleared away. In the
current Litter Management Plan, its objectives state that both awareness and enforcement activities will be used to rid the county of litter and the plan acknowledges the requirement of community
participation to succeed in achieving a litter free environment. In 2011, the Council spent €1.4 million on litter management and with decreasing central government funds, the responsibility to
maintain Kilkenny reputation as being a good place to visit lies partly in the hands of the inhabitants of Kilkenny as they hold the key to keeping it clean and litter free.
Be part of the big “Spruce for Bruce”! In late July many extra eyes will be ón Kilkenny as Bruce Springsteen finishes his world tour in Nolan Park. We want to ensure that our city is highlighted in the best possible light so the County Council is offering a draw prize of 2 FREE TICKETS . How do you win this amazing prize????? Simply help out at any of the KKB Clean-Ups, sign the sheet, and you are entered. The more clean-ups that you help out at the more times your name will be entered. If you are not in you can’t win!
Last Saturday the volunteers who turned up at the Circular Road clean-up were entered. A fantastic job was done by all.
First Doggy Fouling Fine in Kilkenny 2013. Hurrah!!!!!, hopefully this will lead to more people acting responsively for their dogs.
It is unfair that irrespossible Dog owners are Fouling the good name of the majority of Dog owners who act resposibility.
“Love your dog but respect Kilkenny”.
see Kilkenny people:
Dog owner fined on the spot as council cracks down on fouling.
Published on 06/04/2013 07:58
A LOCAL pet owner was handed a €150 on-the-spot litter fine last week when they failed to pick up after their dog.
This was the first such fine to be given out this year, with the council’s enforcement team actively pursuing careless dog owners who flaunt the litter laws. The Litter Pollution Acts 1997-2003 require dog owners to clean up after their pets in public places, under penalty of an on-the-spot fine, which if not paid can lead to prosecution and a larger fine.
This time last year, Kilkenny local authorities launched the ‘Love Your Dog, Respect Kilkenny’ campaign. The campaign aims to highlight the public health issue on the link between the common roundworm that is carried by dogs and its risk to young children.
A single gram of dog excrement can contain more than 100,000 roundworm eggs. Humans can be infected by this roundworm, resulting in a condition called toxocarosis.
Parasite
The parasite usually grows in the back of the eye, which can result in blindness, or in the liver or lungs. It can cause serious illness in young children especially.
The council is keen to raise the awareness of the problems dog dirt causes, and they say it is time to put the social responsibility onto the dog owners.
“While it is refreshing to see many dog walkers carrying a plastic bag with them while out walking their dogs, the dog walkers with no bags do raise suspicion as it must be questioned are they equipped if their dog fouls a public area,” says environmental awareness officer Bernadette Moloney.
“More awareness activities are planned however more importantly the enforcement staff will continue to patrol and those found breaking the litter law will be subject to a litter fine of €150. One such dog owner was caught last week and it’s a hefty fine when the solution is simple – bring a bag of any description and clean up after your dog if it fouls a public place.”
A leaflet advising on responsible dog ownership has been launched by the environment section of Kilkenny County Council in partnership with the council’s environmental committee. The leaflet summarises the steps that dog owners should take to ensure that their pets remain safe, and it outlines the minimum requirements to stay on the right side of the law.
Unsightly
There have also been concerns expressed that the unsightly nature of dog faeces on city streets could be putting tourists off, and is damaging the county’s reputation for tidiness. As well as increased public concern over the quantity of dog excrement left in public areas by pet owners, the issue of dog fouling has consistently been raised in borough council meetings as high on local councillors’ lists of concerns.
Street cleaning and litter bin collection alone cost the city almost E800,000 last year – well over half of the total E1.4 million litter-management spend for the entire county.
The council’s campaign leaflet is available from local libraries, from the environment section of County Hall and the dog shelter. Free pooper scoopers are available from local libraries, County and City Hall. Pet shops also sell a wide variety of them.
The Kilkenny Litter Line is 1800-200-156, or email litter@kilkennycoco.ie.
Looking for an easy way to make your whole area look great for minimal money and effort? Try a planter box. Feel free to contact KKB for help.
KKB clean up (part 2) of Circular rd, Kennyswell and Dalyshill this Saturday 20th April @ 10am to 12. Meet at back of Teehans cottage (junction of Circular rd / Ballycallan rd.) all volunteers are welcome.
The An Taisce national Spring clean litter pick along with the Council staff volunteers takes place next Monday evening at 7pm in Hotel Kilkenny car park. KKB are supporting the effort so all help is appreciated. For further information email us mail@keepkilkennybeautiful.com or 0862514041.
Paddlefest Kilkenny 2013 on the river Nore up from Kilkenny Castle. Copyright: Keep Kilkenny Beautiful
KKB clean up gets green light on Circular road. Copyright: Keep Kilkenny Beautiful