Blitz on litter in village gets 38 bags of rubbish
By Mary Dennehy
TWO major litter blitzes were held in and around the Tallaght village area last week, one of which got the Tallaght Tidy Town’s movement off to a flying start.
Last Thursday, August 22, the first clean-up of the village under the newly launched Tallaght Tidy Towns initiative was held.
Tidy Towns Google volunteers
A team of volunteers from Google also helped out on the day after being put in contact with Tallaght Tidy Towns through Leave No Trace.
The collaborative clean-up of the village also involved Tallaght Community Council, Dodder Valley Litter Mugs, Dodder Action and South Dublin County Council.
Speaking with The Echo, John Kiberd of the Tallaght Tidy Towns movement said that volunteers split into two groups, one started at TU Dublin – Tallaght Campus and the second at Lidl on Main Road.
Both groups worked their way to the Dancers statue in the heart of the village.
“We are very happy to report that there wasn’t as much litter in the village as we expected,” John said.
“So, we moved out towards Sean Walsh Park and Bancroft Park.
Tidy Towns loading bags in SDCC van
“All in all we collected 38 bags of rubbish over four hours.”
While still in its infancy, Tallaght Tidy Towns is hoping to get working on the village area and its environs with the aim of entering the competition next year.
“We are looking for volunteers big-time . . . and still have to put structures in place, like a committee,” John said.
“It’s still early days, but it is hoped that Tallaght Tidy Towns will focus on the village but have an outreach project and go out into the communities . . . create a ripple effect.
“The initiative would work alongside residents and encourage them to adopt one area in their community – everyone can become a litter mug.”
Two days later on Saturday, August 24, Dodder Action and the Dodder Valley Litter Mugs cleared the Poddle, where it flows past Bolbrook Enterprise Centre.
Cllr Kieran Mahon and John Kiberd with a local volunteer pulling a mattress
They cleared 13 bags of rubbish, a wheelie bin, a headboard, trolley and a mattress from the wildlife corridor.
At the same time as volunteers were pulling a water-logged mattress from the water, South Dublin County Council was holding a free mattress amnesty in its Ballymount Civic Amenity.
Volunteers from Dodder Action and the Dodder Valley Litter Mugs cleared the Poddle
The next meet-up of Tallaght Tidy Towns is on September 21.
For further details on how you can be part of the new initiative follow the Tallaght Tidy Towns Facebook page for updates.
Follow Dodder Action on Facebook.
