COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

MOTION NO.16

MOTION: Councillor L. O’Toole

“That this Committee, noting the demands from the public, requests SDCC to install litter bins at Willsbrook Park, Ballyowen/Hermitage Park and Griffeen Park entrances/exits to facilitate the disposal of dog litter and general pedestrian waste.  Having access to bins should prevent littering and it could encourage civic minded pedestrians to pick up and dispose of other persons litter.”

REPORT:

In general, under Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, where faeces has been deposited by a dog in any place to which the section applies, the person in charge of the dog shall immediately remove the faeces and shall ensure that it is properly disposed of in a suitable sanitary manner. It is a matter for dog owners to make their own arrangements to ensure they comply with the requirements of the Act. The Council provides approximately 650 litter bins across the county, both on street and in parks, which accept general litter as well as dog waste.

The provision of litter bins on street is related to the presence of significant litter generators such as shops in the immediate area. In relation to the provision of litter bins in public parks, this is largely confined to the major parks where people may be some considerable distance from on street bins. Litter bins are generally not provided in residential areas or in parks surrounded by housing as they are prone to illegal dumping of waste. This is consistent with the polluter pays principal because local parks contain no litter generators. It would be expected that dog walkers clean up after their dog when out on a public street or in a local park and either place the waste in a public bin where provided or dispose of the waste through their own bin at home.

The Green Dog Walkers programme was launched in 2013. Green Dog Walkers (GDW) is a regional programme involving South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council, Meath County Council and Wicklow County Council.  The Green Dog Walkers programme is a non-confrontational, friendly way to change people’s attitudes about dog fouling.  It is a community based scheme where volunteers in the community can adopt and promote in their own area.  Members of the public can apply through Social Credits at www.socialcredits.ie

Volunteers who become Green Dog Walkers are provided with an armband and bone shaped dog dispenser and commit to the following:

• clean up after their dog
• wear the armband or put the Green Dog Walkers collar on their dog when walking
• carry extra dog waste bags
• be happy to be approached to ‘lend’ a dog waste bag to those without
• be a friendly reminder to other dog walkers to clean up after their dogs

Since the launch of the scheme in 2013, over three hundred people have signed up to become Green Dog Walkers in South Dublin County.

There are no litter bins provided in Willsbrook Park and there are no proposals to provide any at present for the reasons outlined above. However, there is one litter bin on street outside the park on Bewley Avenue. The area around Willsbrook Park will be examined to identify any further locations where an on street bin might be warranted.

There are two bins in Hermitage Park located at the pedestrian entrances from Ballyowen and Hermitage Estates. It is proposed to install an additional bin in the vicinity of the proposed playground site. The bin is currently on order and delivery is expected before the end of the month following which arrangements will be made to have it installed.

There are nine litter bins located through Griffeen Valley Park, two of which are located in the vicinity of the off leash area. It is not proposed to provide any additional bins in the park at the present time as there is evidence that the bins are being used for the disposal of domestic waste.