Background

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Castlebar Tidy Towns committee decided to develop a more detailed comprehensive “Litter Action Plan” for the entire community. This would allow them to focus actions regarding litter. This would also allow them to evaluate what has worked well, and where more effort may be required. It is expected that this will be reviewed each year and progress monitored on an ongoing basis.

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Litter surveys undertaken

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To do this, firstly the Committee undertook several litter surveys and audits throughout 2019 and in the intervening years up to 2025 to identify litter and litter “Black Spots”. This involved surveys on both the weekend and on school days to consider any school-related litter issues. Volunteers walked key routes through the community to note the various types of litter found, and where it was mostly located.

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Results of litter surveys

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Despite the great efforts of Castlebar Tidy Towns Committee, Volunteers and Co Council staff it was still apparent that litter is an ongoing issue for the town.  Much improvement has come about in recent times through the anti-litter awareness programmes and regular visible clean-ups. This is reflected very much in the National Tidy Towns Competition with an ever-improving marks each year in recent times, and the awarding of six consecutive Gold Medals to Castlebar from 2018 to date.  Castlebar has also fared very well in the National IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) results in receiving the accolade “Litter Free Zone” and “Clean to EU Norms” on several occasions in the past.

It is also apparent that much of the litter problems are simply from pedestrians disposing (42%) of anything unwanted as they walk the streets, and equally so from motorists (22.4%) that simply dump into the verges and shrubbery from their cars as they exit the town in the main.  This is verified from the Mayo Co. Co. report and assessment of causative factors of litter pollution as outlined in their Litter Management Plan. It would also appear from initial reports and visual inspection that cigarette related matters would be the main and most visible form of litter in all locations on a consistent and permanent basis. Dog Fouling is equally a major problem because of its deleterious nature.

Illegal Dumping does not appear to be a major problem in the Castlebar town area or immediate environs but there would appear to be a degree of carelessness amongst “flatland” dwellers, alleyways, and lanes, and leaving litter at Recycling Receptacles and Clothes & Bring Banks.  E have since dispensed with the clothes banks. This is simply down to people that are selfish and non-compliant, and where more action is required.

Outside of Cigarette related litter and Dog Fouling it would appear as if the other most major items collected in the most recent clean-up audit on the Approach Roads and shrubbery areas were: -

The new bottle and can recycling system known as Deposit Return Scheme Return system is making a positive impact on the reduction in this area – particularly in plastic bottles. We hope that this improvement would continue on a permanent basis. 

• Drink Cans.

• Disposable Cups.

• Fast Food Containers (packaging)

• Sweet Wrappings.

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Definition of Litter: Ref Mayo Co.Co. Litter Management Plan.

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 “A substance or object, whether or not intended as waste that, when deposited in a place other than a litter receptacle or other place lawfully designated for the deposit, is or is likely to become unsightly, deleterious, nauseous or unsanitary, whether by itself or with any other such substances or object, and regardless of its size or volume or extent of deposit”.

 The main key measures that need to be undertaken are -

1. Educate our young people from an early stage.

2. Get the message across to the entire community that we need to change our habits and behaviour.  This needs to be a concerted effort that is relentless.

3. We need to be more conscious within our community of the need to be litter free, and that our town is attractive for residents and visitors alike.

4. We need to create a “Civic Spirit” and “Pride of Place” amongst our community.

5. Awareness Programmes need to be ongoing, and a little bit of “carrot and stick” approach may be required.

6. Communicate the message through local media, social media, news bulletins and circulars etc.

7. Reporting of Litter / Dumping.

8. Identify “Litter Black Spots”.

9. Enforcement.

 

 What is Litter (Layman’s Language)

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Litter means any type of rubbish left lying in an open or public place.  It includes everything from Cigarette Butts to Dog Fouling and unwanted furniture.  Leaving or throwing litter in a public place is an offence.

If you own or are responsible for a place that is open to the public you have a legal duty to keep the place litter free, regardless of how it got there.

If you own or occupy property you must keep any outdoor area of your property that is visible from a public place free of litter.

If an area becomes a Litter Black Spot by litter building up, the Local Authority can serve a notice to remove.

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Promoters or organisers of major events (e.g., Football, Music festivals) must ensure that litter control measures are in place before, during and after the event.

Mobile Food Outlets or Stalls selling food or goods must provide suitable litter bins.  You must clean up any litter within a radius of 100 meters.

Report illegal Dumping to Mayo Co. Co. 1800 400 256

Dog Fouling – Must be removed from public places and disposed of properly – Public roads and footpaths; around Shopping Centres; School Grounds; Sports Grounds; Beaches.

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Posters & Signs.

It is illegal to put up posters or signs on poles or other structures in public places unless you have the written permission in advance from the owner of the pole or structure.

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Election Posters must be removed within 7 days following the election.  On the Spot Fine for each offence.

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Advertising Flyers – It is illegal to place advertising leaflets on car windscreens.  There may be local byelaws for the distribution of advertising leaflets on the street also.

 

Forms of Litter (Main constituents of Litter pollution 2023)

• Cigarette related – 45.6%

• Dog fouling (Included in Deleterious)

• Packaging related – 19.9%

• Sweets related – 8.3%

• Food related (Includes Gum) – 9.9%

• Paper items – 6.1%

• Deleterious (Causing harm) Litter – 2.5%

• Miscellaneous and other – 7.7%

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Main Causes of Litter Pollution (Nationally) 2019

• Passing Pedestrians (42.3%)

• Passing Motorists (20.2%)

• Retail Outlets (8%)

• Gathering Points (6.3%)

• Places of leisure / Entertainment (4.1%)

• Fast Food Outlets (4.6%)

• Schools / School children 4.3%)

• Bus Stops (3.2%)

• Fly Tipping / Dumping (2.4%)

• Bring Banks (1.8%)

• Other / Miscellaneous / ATMs / refuse collection (2.8%)

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The main litter and untidiness problems and trouble areas (Litter Black Spots including Untidiness) were identified as follows:

The following is the Action Plan.

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1. Dog Fouling (Mainly at Lough Lannagh and Town Park)

• Mayo County Council already has ‘Dog fouling’ signs which are available to community groups. They could be erected but they are not often noted.

• Establish The ‘Poo Fighters’ - a team of volunteers to insert ‘flags’ or ‘spray paint’ in poos to highlight them and how long they hang around.

• At ‘black spots’, have junior Castlebar Tidy Towns volunteers give out free Poop scoops to any dog owners. This could be done in conjunction with asking them to pledge to pick up their dog’s waste.

• Visiting schools with local vet and public health nurse to inform pupils of health hazards of dog fouling. Poop scoops issued to pupils and fun demonstration on their use.

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2. Cigarette butts outside pubs, shops, and restaurants – at doorway entrance / exit.

• Encourage businesses to keep street areas clean and litter free outside their premises.  Encourage them to do a daily check and sweep in front of their premises.  Provide exterior receptacles.

• Remind businesses / shops of their responsibility in this regard – Circular to Chamber

• Purchase a “Leaf type” suction tool and work into our weekly clean up plan around the black spot areas.

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3. Graffiti (Under Bridge)

• Set up a number of ‘graffiti vice squads’ who would be provided with sets of graffiti wipes to clean-up small incidents of graffiti when noted.

• Plant prickly plants (e.g., Pyracantha) along walls that are regularly targeted with graffiti to make it harder for the artists to access the sites.

• Devise art project to cover utility boxes or other graffiti- target areas.

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4. Littering in shrubbery area at town limit signs – passing motorists exiting town in cars.

• Erect signs in suitable locations to act as a reminder to stop this habit

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5. School pupils related litter from pupils along routes to and from school and gathering points.

• Appoint a Schools-liaison officer. The person in question would discuss suggested actions with the schools in question. Ideas could include:

• Set up temporary bins during lunchtime school routes

•  Litter monitors.

• There are several overgrown shrub areas where pupils congregate in den-like areas. In       these         areas litter is dumped and collects in bushes – so it is suggested these areas could   be possibly cutback.

• Incentives for pupils to bring litter back to school (apple vouchers?).

• Awareness Programmes in Primary Schools – Anti-litter and Anti-Graffiti Poster competitions.

• Awareness Programme for TY Students – Mural; Poetry; Prose piece;

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6. Cable ties on ESB and Telegraph poles.

• Set up a squat team to remove all recorded cable ties. Ensure they are competent and fully au fait on Health & Safety requirements.

• Direct litter pickers how to advise the cable-tie squat team when they see any in situ.

• Set up an action group to write to candidates in election campaigns and ask them to remove all cable-ties as well as posters from within your community.

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7. Flyposting

• Contact person or business and get them to remove them – threat of €150 fine otherwise.

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8. Overflowing bins by shops and similar gathering points.

• Ask a diplomatic volunteer to discuss the issue with the shop in question and suggest ideas to tackle localised littering including more regular empty of bins and sweeping up more regularly outside premises. This could be suggested at a start to be just for a limited time period (e.g., The 6 weeks of adjudication from early June to first week in August annually).

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9. Overflowing bins by bus stops.

• Discuss with Co. Co. ability to have bins at bus stops emptied more regularly. Equally so that flatland is monitored more regularly. 

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10. Flatland (Rental Areas) / Laneways & Alleyways.

• Audit of residential and business premises to determine if they use an authorised Waste Company.

• Regular monitoring and reporting.

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11. Night-time littering (from fast food premises).

• Put up posters in shop / takeaway encouraging customers to dispose of litter appropriately.

• Encourage businesses to keep street areas clean and litter free outside their premises.

• Inform fast food proprietors of any litter problems associated with their businesses and advise them of their responsibility in this regard.  Work with Chamber on this.

• Get all Fast-food outlets to sign up to “Anti-Litter Agreement” for these type of retail outlets.

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12. General Waste left at Bring Banks & Recycling Receptacles.

• Place cameras at correct locations – Proper lighting required in vicinity to assist with identifying any culprits.

• Erect signs to say that CCTV in operation

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13. Gum Litter – where students meet and congregate.

• Gum Litter taskforce.

• Gum Litter machine.

• Educational programme in schools – visits.

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14. Litter built up after major events in town – festivals; music concerts; sporting events.

• Ensure that the organisers of such events have a plan of action in place.  Write to them beforehand advising of their responsibility in this regard.  A general type of circular letter.

• Ensure that the organisers have bins in place before, during and after the event.

• Get Mayo Co. Co. to erect portable Electronic Road Sign on entrance and exit to town – “Dispose of Litter carefully” / “Bring home your Litter” or similar.

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15. Excessive advertising signs on approach roads and left there to rot after a period.

• Report immediately - Ensure that Co Council remove signs immediately where possible.

• Advise the company to have same removed in order to avoid any penalty that Council may / might impose.

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16. Distribution of advertising leaflets on cars and on the street.

• Advise the person distributing the leaflets that it is an offence under the Litter Act to put advertising leaflets on windscreens of cars.

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17. Mobile Food Outlets.

• Encourage businesses to keep street areas clean and litter free outside their premises for 100 Meters. Ensure that they provide litter bins in future.

• Inform and advise them of their responsibility in this regard. 

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18. General Waste at Town Riverbanks and bridges and in the town river also.

• Erect signs in suitable locations to act as a reminder to stop this.

• Erect cameras at these locations.

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19. Alcohol glass and plastic bottles discarded in green and leisure areas at Summertime.

• Erect signs in suitable locations to act as a reminder to stop this.

• Provide more larger type suitable bins in the “Black Spots” identified, and locations most likely to be used.

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20. All types of waste left in alleyways and lanes.

• Patrol these areas on a more regular basis.  Ask nearby businesses to monitor these areas on a regular basis and report any incidents of littering to Co Council.

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21. Alcohol related litter at Burial Grounds and Cemeteries.

• Patrol and check these areas on a more regular basis and provide suitable bins in appropriate locations – gathering points. 

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22. Paper receipts at Bank ATMs.

• Encourage all Banks to check Receipt Receptacle on a regular basis and remove excess paper when required.

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Other Tasks & Activities to undertake; -

1. Develop Anti-litter Awareness Programmes through visits to the schools.  Educate the young people and encourage them to care for their environment and greater community.

2. Link with Co Council on their Litter Management Plan in the areas of – Prevention; Operations; Partnership arrangements; Enforcement.

3. Make all the community more aware of their obligations and responsibilities as individuals and businesses – Business Sector; Schools; Residents Groups; and Individuals.

4. Encourage the various groups to partake in the following: -

• Weekly Tidy Towns Clean-up.

• Spring Clean in April each year.

• Adopt an Area.

• Adopt a Mile.

• Good Friday Clean-up. (Clean-up Mayo Day)

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   5. Work with our main Partners – `Mayo Co. Co., Chamber of Commerce; Love Castlebar; Castlebar Tourism, SuperValu and both local and social media to get the message out and act.

   6. Identify, Highlight and List “Black Spot Areas”.

   7. Arrange community competitions for cleanest estate, school, business etc.

   8. Distribute “How you can help” booklet to entire community.

   9. Roadside Litter Audits by Mayo Co. Co.

  10. Greater monitoring role by Mayo Co. Co. and Castlebar Tidy Towns. Re-engage IBAL to report on Castlebar.  Conduct further litter surveys and audits.

   11. Act on recommendations of the National tidy Towns Adjudicators Report on Litter Control and Tidiness.

   12. Door-to-door inspections to determine if people use Official Recognised Waste Companies.  Focus on residents/ businesses in Laneways and Alleyways and Rental Flatland areas.

   13. Secure further Litter Picking equipment from Mayo Co. Co. Secure sponsorship for any purchases.

   14. Is it possible to arrange a Limerick type Clean-up event of a major scale (J.P. McManus)?

   15. Further use of awareness and events through local radio, local press, social media.  

   16. Invite Environmental speakers with a national standing to public workshops / conferences.

   17. Enforcement – publish list of offenders convicted in court (Dumping).

   18. Determine Budget of Mayo Co. Co. for Litter Activity in Castlebar town and environs.

   19. Secure financial contribution for Castlebar T.T. for programmes - like Ballina.

   20. Secure reports from Mayo Co. Co. on their monitoring etc – Special committee / Review each year with progress report.

   21. Acknowledge effort and input at Castlebar Tidy Towns Awards Ceremony each year – Appreciation Award; Endeavour Award; Community Spirit Award; Young person’s Award etc.

   22. 7 Day monitoring / cleaning of Town-centre area.

   23. Provision of additional Solar type Litter Bins at strategic locations.

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POSSIBLE LITTER BLACK SPOTS AREAS

(Areas to adopt)

• Town River.

• Riverbank (Between Barrack Bridge and Elvery’s)

• Stream alongside St Gerald’s College.

• Stream at Marian Row.

• Pedestrian Bridge at entrance to Church Car Park from main car park.

• Pedestrian bridge at rear of Western People Offices in Linenhall Street.

• Bridge at Market Street.

• Bridge at Barrack Bridge.

• Bridge at Newtown.

• Lough Lannagh – Walkway, Lake area, and Car Park.

• MUGA Pitch area.

• Open Green Space areas around Lough Lannagh.

• Castlebar Town Park Playground, Springfield.

• All Car Parks. – Castle Street, Dunnes, Tesco, Library (Old Tennis Club), Rear of McDermott’s and Tolsters, Credit Union & rear of Staunton’s Pharmacy.

• All shrubbery areas.

• Humbert Mall alleyway.

• Staunton’s alleyway.

• Art Shop alleyway.

• Outside of Davitt College up to N.C.F. Connacht Gold.

• Outside St Gerald’s College to Belvedere Court.

• The Mall.

• Moneen Roundabout out to 60K zone.

• N 5 Ring Road. (Moneen to Westport Road Roundabouts)

• Lannagh Road to Brooklands.

• Hopkins Road.

• Turlough Road (Opposite Casey’s Garage).

• Housing Estates at Rowan Drive, Knockthomas, Rathbawn Grove / Avenue, Drumconlan, Hollow Grove and Fr Meehan Place.

• McHale Road.

• Old Swimming Pool to Library.

• Shrubbery opposite Modern Tyres at Spencer Park area.

• Part of Old Cemetery.

• Moneen Industrial Estate.

• Barcastle Industrial Estate.

• N 5 Business Park.

• Car Park at back of Hanley’s on Station Road (Private).

• Car Park at Mulroy’s Filling Station at Moneen (Private).

• Opposite Monahan’s Garage on Breaffy Road.

• Other areas that need careful attention as reported in IBAL Report – Train Station, Industrial Estates on Breaffy Road (2), GMIT / St Mary’s, Tara Court, and all Approach Roads.

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Penalties for Littering

• Littering – On the Spot Fine €150, or up to a maximum of €3,000 if convicted in a District Court.

• Environmental Pollution €130,000 and €10,000 per day if you continue.

• The Litter / Traffic Warden or Gardaí can issue On the Spot Fines.