Need for National Cans & Bottles Pay Back Scheme to Clean Up Our Forests & Parks

The April clean-up by the Conservation Volunteers of the Terryland Forest Park in Galway city has exposed once again the wanton destruction being done to the Irish countryside and waterways by the high level of dumping of cans and bottles by outdoor drinkers.

There is a growing problem within Irish society due to binge drinking, particularly by young people which eventually has to be faced up to. This phenomena has escalated in the last two decade as a result of the easy access and availability of cheap alcohol.
In the interim, the problem of resulting litter can be tackled head-on by the introduction of a refundable charge on cans and bottles, something which the 'Friends of Galway Forests' NGO had campaigned on for years. (Click here) 
We failed to convince the last Environment Minister and Green Party leader John Gormley to implement such an initiative. But we secured the agreement of Galway City Council last July, thanks to the support of Councillor Catherine Connolly, to introduce a pay-back scheme for cans.
Click here to read about this positive move by city council.

 
It is time now to re-activate the lobbying of government if we are to save our precious lakes, forests and rivers from disappearing under a layer of plastic and glass.
But in the short term, should we not organise a public 'Cash For Can Day' in June where we organise a huge mass clean-up and bring all the cans to the council recycling plant and use the monies collected to invest in trees for plantings in our civic parks and woodlands?
Finally, thanks to the volunteers who turned up on Saturday. Appreciated.

Green Party At Last Re-Discovers Some of Its Core Values as O Cuív attempts to Rekindle Social Principles of old Fianna Fáil

At last the Ireland's Green Party has finally re-discovered some of their fundamental principles and core values, by refusing last week to accept Taoiseach Brian Cowen's attempted 'stroke' of appointing new appointments after the mass ministerial resignations, & decided this week to resign from government.

So well done Gormley and co on this issue!

'Tis a pity though for the rest of us that they did not refuse the blanket bank bailout in 2008 nor vote against the loss of economic sovereignty in 2010 amongst other things.

Sad too that they never ensured, in their 3.5yrs in office, reform of local and national government reform of the civil service, reform of the financial sector, desperately needed curriculum reform and re-investment in education, support of local eco community campaigns such as the 'Stop the Headford Road through the Terryland Forest Park' in Galway City, protect the destruction of bogs across Ireland, introduce a levy on beverage bottles and cans, end party political influence in appointments to quangos & semi state/state agencies, the passage of a Climate Change bill, the abolition of corporate funding to politicians, protection of communities against cutbacks to their neighbourhoods and support groups, secure public ownership of Ireland's natural resources such as natural gas, end the Shannon stopover, protect the national heritage locality around Tara from motorway construction...

But still a positive though belated move.

Éamon O'Cuív- attempt at a return to core values of early Fianna Fáil

I am glad too that Eamon O'Cuiv has made a bid for the leadership of Fianna Fáil. Though he was part of the government that brought the country to near ruination, nevertheless I believe that he is not tainted by the 'me feinism' of the greedy self serving pro-property speculator mentality that is endemic amongst too many FF politicians. Though I disagree with many of his policies, I still think that he is an honest public servant that has a strong community and social inclusion ethos, a sense of justice and civic duty, a belief in the importance of national and cultural identity including a love of the Irish language.

'Men of No Property'

In other words, the values and beliefs that were part of the republican movement of the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and early Fianna Fáil. During these wars of liberation, many members of my family fought with the IRA, were prepared to give their lives to defend and give recognition to these principles. Ultimately they heeded the call of De Valera and followed him into Fianna Fáil. I am sure that they are now turning in their graves at how the party has gone from being the party of the downtrodden and men of no property to becoming the party of the absentee landlord and property speculators' who have the arrogance to call themselves up 'developers'.

Yet, 'tis a pity though that O Cuív became such a supporter of Cowen & did not stand up to & speak out against the other FFers who were too close to the financiers & property speculators

Ireland’s first Drinks Cans Pay-back Scheme for Galway?

The decision of the recent meeting of the Environment SPC of Galway City Council to recommend the introduction of a pay-back scheme for drink cans is warmly welcomed.

As spokesperson for the Galway Friends of the Forests, the local community and environmental group, I applaud the foresight of the Environment SPC on this initiative that was proposed by Councillor Catherine Connolly supported by city officials. This facility will probably be initially based at the Liosbaun recycling centre. The motion will now go forward for ratification to a full meeting of the City Council.

The ‘Galway Friends of the Forests’ has been lobbying since 2007 on the need to re-introduce a nationwide payback scheme for take-away beverage bottles as well as cans in order to clean up our parks, fields and natural habitats. Locally we have made representations to Galway City Community Forum and to Councillor Catherine Connolly in her capacity as Chairperson of the Natural Environment and Waterways committee. The councillor has responded magnificently by proposing last week’s motion.
Sadly we have had no success in our dealings with the Department of the Environment, Local Government and Heritage on this issue. In autumn 2007 we made a formal submission to the government’s ‘International Review Of Waste Management’ report where we recommended the introduction of national legislation to implement a refundable charge on beverage cans and bottles. However, we were astonished that the final report, published in late 2009, failed to address this proposal in any serious way and made some vague comment about the need for further future research.

The state’s lethargic attitude to a grassroots initiative that if accepted will help dramatically reduce litter pollution in Ireland is baffling. Especially when one considers that the government department responsible is led by the leader of the Green Party, John Gormley, with whom we meet with on this and related policy areas and where we reinforced the need for the re-introduction of a monetary pay-back scheme that existed in Ireland until only a few decades ago.

It is obvious to all interested parties, from tourism organisations to local neighbourhood associations, that our parks, woodlands, bogs, rivers and seashores are strewn with litter contributing to a deterioration in the aesthetic beauty of our natural landscapes, a serious contamination of our waterways and the destruction of wildlife habitats. This environmental disaster is getting worse by the day exacerbated by the cheap pricing on non-refundable alcohol cans and bottles available from supermarkets, corner shops, garages and off-licences that has lead to an epidemic in under-age outdoor binge drinking.

Such litter does not feature in the IBAL surveys which primarily focus on street and roadways.

In Galway city, communities and the local authority have worked together, under a scheme known as ‘Gaillimh Suas Glan’, to clean up woods and other green public spaces on a monthly basis. The amount of refuse being collected is frightening. In a recent event, volunteers collected over 6,000 pieces of litter in a two hour period from one forest area. Beverage cans and bottles together generally account for between 60-70% of the items collected.

Furthermore, this refund system has had considerable success elsewhere in Europe. 90% of beer and soft drinks containers are returned in Sweden while the market share of non-returnable bottles in Finland is deliberately kept small at 5%.

We have requested a further meeting with Minister Gormley on the matter. Should we fail to secure a commitment, we will begin to organise a nationwide citizens’ petition on our demand for this pay-back scheme.

City Hall Needs to Formally Abandon Forest Road Plan

Winter Wonderland in Terryland Forest Park

My favourite local community environmental group, the Friends of the Forest, has called on Galway City Council to learn from the lessons of the recent flooding experienced in county Galway by publicly abandoning the controversial proposal to build a road through the low-lying Terryland Forest Park and to finally publish the long-overdue Headford Road Framework Plan with its accompanying 2008 public consultations findings.

We have been lobbying for the publication of the Headford Road Framework Plan since the spring of 2008 when we presented a petition with over 10,000 names against the recommendations of city officials to construct a major link road through the Terryland Forest Park with a corresponding widening of the Dyke Road that would signal the destruction of one of the city’s last great natural heritage areas. Yet nearly two years on we are astonished that this report, carried out with significant taxpayers monies, has still not been released.

We agreed wholeheartedly with the original brief given to the consultants to provide a blueprint for the sustainable retail and public space development of a major 76 acres area of the city that urgently requires urban regeneration due to the presence of prominent derelict sites, a series of unaesthetic buildings, under-utilised parklands, and a anti-pedestrian/anti-cycling transport artery dominated by car traffic.

But it would be a travesty of the public consultation process as well as undermining the concept of local democracy if officials publish the report with the new road element still included as was alluded to last autumn. For, based on the size of our petition and the content of the majority of the submissions made to the report in 2008, it is obvious that the local population are against this road construction. It also goes against the council’s own policies on ecological corridors and protection of natural heritage areas and will only worsen the traffic situation by encouraging even more cars into an already congested city centre.

Furthermore, the recent disastrous flooding experienced in Galway county provides ample evidence of the inherent dangers of building houses and roads in floodplains. In response to the flooding of the summer of 2008, the Minister of the Environment John Gormley instructed local authorities in Ireland that no significant developments should be undertaken in floodplains.

This proposed road is situated in the Terryland River valley, in a wetland area and lies below the level of the River Corrib which is only held back by the presence of man-made barriers along the Dyke Road. With rising water levels a symptom of global climate change, it would be irresponsible to proceed with this construction.

In fact the locality’s wetlands should be enhanced as they act as Nature’s sponge by absorbing floodwaters thereby providing a natural defence for the city’s populated areas.

We are calling on the council to now provide a map of the city’s floodplains so that we can plan for the inevitable future floodings.

In the meantime, our group will continue to campaign for greater protection of our natural heritage areas, their increased use as outdoor classrooms, the return of community tree planting and monthly clean-ups of forests through the excellent Gaillimh Suas Glan initiative.

Time for Minister for the Environment To Introduce Refundable Charge on Drink Cans & Bottles

The recent ‘Gaillimh Suas Glan’ initiative coordinated by Galway City Council's Environmental Officer (Sharon Carrol) and City Parks , in conjunction with our group, the ‘Friends of the Forest’ was a very good example of the benefits of council-public co-operation. We are delighted with the response of Galway residents to the first monthly clean-up of the city’s green spaces that proved such a fine . Over a two hour period on a Sunday in November, thousands of pieces of litter were gathered from one section of the Terryland Forest Park. Beverage cans represented the largest class of items collected at 35% followed by drink bottles at 32%.
We are concerned though that legislation has not been introduced by the Minister of the Environment for a refundable levy on beverage cans and bottles. For there is a growing incidence of litter, particularly discarded drink containers, being dumped in our green areas that if left unabated will lead to an environmental disaster. Not only is this type of refuse undermining the beauty of our natural landscapes but it is also leading to a serious contamination of our waterways and the destruction of wildlife habitats.
Since July 2007 local community activists have been lobbying the Minister to introduce this levy. This policy has had considerable success elsewhere in Europe particularly in the Scandinavian countries. 90% of beer and soft drinks containers are returned in Sweden while the market share of non-returnable bottles in Finland is deliberately kept small at 5%. Furthermore, such a monetary pay-back scheme existed in Ireland until a few decades ago.
It is a win-win system for all concerned – local communities, local authorities, the environment, waste management and of course wildlife.The monies saved could be used to encourage greater public use of wonderful green spaces by funding the provision of park wardens, regular outdoor family events and park facilities such as picnic areas, community gardens and eco-learning centres.
But as of yet we have had no positive response from Minister John Gormley. His department recently informed us that the long overdue consultancy report on waste management is expected before Christmas. We earnestly hope that a Minister for the Environment, who is also leader of the Green Party, will take onboard a grassroots initiative that if implemented will help dramatically reduce litter pollution in Ireland.
Sadly it has been government’s own policies that have contributed to the polluting of our countryside, an associated rise in anti-social behaviour and an extra burden on our health services. Over the last decade, the unprecedented growth in off-licences selling cheap alcohol has led to an epidemic in under-age outdoor binge drinking that has undermined community spirit, destroyed peoples’ lives and polluted parks. It is time that the government introduced laws that will clean up the mess created by their own policies.

Community-Inspired Campaign To Clean Up Galway City's Forests & Parks Gets Underway!

Our Environmental campaign group ‘Friends of the Forest’ have joined forces with Galway City Council in order to implement a new initiative designed to secure public participation in regular major monthly clean-ups of the city’s public spaces.
While we fundamentally disagree with local authority officials' still existing plans to build a road through this most precious urban forest park that will all destroy its proposed development as an important ecological corridor , nevertheless we see no reason why we should not work with City Hall to increase public use of the forest and to help eliminate the waste crisis that exists in this important natural heritage area.There is a serious and growing litter problem in parks and other green spaces across the country. However, because of the local authority recruitment embargo, ordinary citizens must re-discover 'civic pride' and take up the challenge of helping to keep our valuable green resources clean in order to protect our increasingly threatened wildlife and to encourage greater use of woods and parklands by schools, arts groups and local communities.
Inspired by the international ‘Beach Watch’ project organised in Galway by Atlantaquaria (Ireland's National Aquarium), Friends of the Forest held a series of meetings with City Hall’s Environmental Education Officer Sharon Carroll and the Superintendent of Parks Stephen Walsh on implementing regular high-profile mass clean ups that would each month focus in on different public spaces across the city.The result is that the first of these major clean-ups known as ‘Glan Suas Gaillimh!’ (Irish for 'Clean Up Galway!') operating under the auspices of Galway City Council will start at 2.30pm on Sunday November 15th in the Terryland Forest Park.
Follow-on clean-ups will include Merlin Woods, Barna Woods and our seashores.
It is hoped that residents of all ages from all across the city will take part in this major partnership initiative that could make such a positive contribution to our city’s image and well-being.So well done to Sharon McHugh & Stephen Walsh for bing so supportive and proactive in doing every thing possible to ensure the success of Glan Suas Gaillimh!
Sharon in particular has gone over and beyond the call of duty to involve children in the clean-up as a continuation of her work with schools on the Green Flag initiative This litter drive will represent an important step in re-engaging the people of Galway with City Hall’s environmental policies. We are also now hopeful that Council will re-introduce an annual eco-programme for Terryland Forest Park and elsewhere that will include family tree planting days, community arts events and educational nature tours. Continued tree planting is urgently needed to offset global warming with our forests acting as ‘carbon sinks’. As well as being major biodiversity zones, forests also serve as important passive/active amenity areas.
The Friends of the Forest are also continuing their three year lobbying of the Minister of the Environment to introduce a national refundable levy on all drink containers purchased at off-licences and other retail outlets. As discarded cans and bottles are probably the number one cause of litter in Ireland, a refundable levy would have a beneficial impact on our environment by providing an economic incentive for people to keep Irish parks, roads, and waterways clean.
Such a monetary pay-back scheme existed in Ireland until a few decades ago and is very successful today in other countries.
The monies saved could then be used to encourage greater public use of our wonderful green spaces by funding the provision of park wardens, regular outdoor family events and park facilities such as picnic areas, community gardens and eco-learning centres.