Madam, – As a tidy towns group, we daily encounter the problem of litter, and generally whether one is in a small village, a large town, or travelling along our motorways, the predominant impression is that the people of Ireland just don’t care, and will deposit their litter everywhere.
We have tried education, persuasion and advertising in an attempt to dissuade people from dropping their litter in public areas – alas to no avail. The Mayor of Killarney Michael Gleeson suggests we adopt an anti-litter slogan “Only the Filthy Litter” (April 24th), however, in my experience that will not work, as those who litter don’t give a damn anyway.
There is only one way to prevent littering: fine those who litter, whether by dropping a cigarette or leaving an old fridge on the side of the road. Prosecution and the application of financial penalties work. They work with drink driving, they work with speeding. It is time for the local authorities to employ and empower litter wardens, and ensure they are out on the streets issuing fines to those who litter. The Minister for the Environment should also strengthen the Litter Act, which has so many fudges and “outs” as to make it somewhat ineffective.
I cannot see how employing a litter warden could be anything but a cash cow for local authorities. With a €150 on-the-spot fine for each instance of littering, just 10 fines a week should cover the cost of a litter warden and his or her van.
Fine them and they will stop littering. – Yours, etc,