100 tonnes of Halloween waste collected over two days
By Aideen O'Flaherty
NEARLY 100 tonnes of waste was collected by South Dublin County Council on October 30 and 31, while the local authority will commence their post-Halloween clean up now that the bonfires are out and the areas where they occurred are safe to work on.
Across South Dublin County, 46 tonnes of waste was collected by the council on October 30, while 51 tonnes were collected on Halloween, October 31.
The remains of a bonfire at MacUilliam
As reported in The Echo, over 1,000 pallets were removed countywide in the run up to Halloween, while South Dublin County Council received more than 360 calls in relation to stockpiling.
Greenspaces around the county were damaged by illegal bonfires, where on Tuesday morning (November 6) debris from a Halloween bonfire in Mac Uilliam in Tallaght was still in situ alongside household waste, a mattress and pieces of wood.
The council stated that their post-Halloween “clean-up phase” usually carries through to the end of November and priority will be given to the reinstatement of recreational facilities, such as playing pitches.
While figures are not yet available for the total cost of the council’s post-Halloween clean-up, the local authority spent €87,000 last year cleaning up after Halloween.
Fianna Fáil councillor for Tallaght central, Charlie O’Connor, told The Echo: “A lot of the bonfires have certainly damaged green spaces, things like trollies, beds and household waste were thrown onto the bonfires.
“I think that the removal of tonnes of waste that was done on Halloween week, with the cooperation of the gardai and the council, has, to an enormous extent, saved greenspaces from even worse damage.
“I believe there’s great credit due to the council staff and the gardai – they did a great job.”
Kilclare
Looking ahead to next Halloween, Cllr O’Connor said: “Every year after Halloween we have a debrief where we look at what happened and what was learned.
“We will continue to fight against the destruction of our open spaces.”
