Volunteers shocked to find syringes lying about park

Volunteers shocked to find syringes lying about park

By Aideen O'Flaherty

SEVENTEEN volunteers donned wellies and hi-vis jackets at a clean-up of the Whitestown Stream in Killinarden Park last week, as part of a joint initiative between local environmental groups Dodder Valley Litter Mugs and Dodder Action.

Over 35 bags of rubbish were collected over the course of the three-hour clean-up, and the volunteers were ably assisted by members of a clean-up group from Crumlin, former Tallaght Person of the Year and environmental activist Gar Tyrell, and local Sinn Féin TD Sean Crowe.

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The volunteers who cleaned up the Whitestown Stream in Killinarden

Large items were removed from the stream by members of the group.

Wladek Gaj and Sally Anne Lyons from the group removed a large screen television, mattresses, shopping trolleys and car parts, while John Stanton used equipment to remove heavier items from the river, with volunteers forming a tug-of-war set-up to lift these items up onto the bridge.

Christine Barretto, a member of Dodder Action and the founder of the Dodder Valley Litter Mugs, told The Echo: “New members of the group were shocked to find a couple of syringes lying about the park, which were securely disposed of in a sharps container.

“It was also noted that there had been a number of casual fires lit in the vicinity and appeared to be used as a form of waste disposal and anti-social behaviour.

“The environmental concerns related to the accumulation of waste in the stream would be the potential for flooding, especially in light of increased uncertainty in extreme weather connected to climate change.

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Some of the items found included a syringe

“There appears to be an unmet need in terms of waterways maintenance and monitoring.

“With flood alleviation being a hot topic with the Poddle at the moment it is concerning to see the impact the fly-tipping has on our streams and rivers.”

For further information about future clean-ups, follow the Dodder Valley Litter Mugs and Dodder Action Facebook pages.

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