Street cleaning costs council €1.6m in Offaly in three years
A sum of €1.6 million has been spent on street cleaning in Offaly over the most recent three-year period, it has been revealed.
The substantial figure was outlined during a review of the Offaly County Council Litter Management Plan from January 2022 to December 2024, which was approved by councillors at the monthly meeting on Monday.
Making the presentation, Environmental Awareness Officer Caroline Clancy noted that continuous engagement with the county's schools and community organisations plays a key role in raising litter awareness in Offaly.
The review highlighted the impact of the addition of solar compaction bins over the three-year term enabling the collection of eight times more waste than a traditional litter bin.
"Funded with grant assistance, the solar compaction bins were installed at a cost of €6,000 each," Ms Clancy added.
The Deposit Return Scheme received positive reference in the review, its introduction reducing the number of plastic bottles and cans in the county's towns and villages.
During the three-year term of the Litter Management Plan there were 2,168 waste related complaints made to the local authority with 58 fines issued to the offending parties.
The report said the low number of fines issued in 2024 was as a result of a lack of evidence to enable a successful prosecution.
The review said Offaly County Council, while continuing to make vast strides in terms of litter management, was entering a period of transition with the introduction of CCTV and the Deposit Return Scheme.
"In the coming months it is anticipated that both schemes will have a positive impact on litter management in Offaly and gather insights and learnings that will feed into a new Litter Management Plan in 2028.
The council agreed to extend the current litter management plan in Offaly for a further three years.