Like every other imaginable kind of community activity, the annual Kerry County Clean-up which had been arranged for the 28th of this month has also been postponed.
In existence now with almost a decade, the one-day, dawn to dusk event was both a triumph for community spirit and a commentary of the most woeful kind on our disregard for the environment.
Wanton And Worst Excesses
Volunteers are probably getting used to the wanton and worst excesses of our kind by now, but those new to the commendable effort are still dismayed by the ‘finds’ they make in the midst of the beauty around them.
Last year saw Castleisland’s biggest involvement ever in the initiative as every roadside ditch and drain came under the scrutiny of the Tidy Towns driven assault on litter.
Under Our Noses
However, in spite of years of complaints from local people, one of the blackest of black litter spots exists, you could say, under our noses and just off the heart of the town.
The back-garden wall which separates the Castleisland Co-Op Mart from the rear of the houses on Main Street is as a fine a disgrace as you’ll find anywhere.
For years now the gardens have been subjected to a level of household rubbish dumping on a scandalous level.
Health and Safety Grounds
On health and safety grounds alone it puts a solution well beyond the means of any voluntary group and it needs to be tackled by professionals at this stage.
The contents of the area is made up of mainly recyclable material and its location and low surround wall makes it the ideal drive-by site for those of a mind.
An Outstanding Example
It is an outstanding example of how some people regard the environment around them.
In spite of complaints to Kerry County Council the dumpers and the law breakers still retain the upper hand in this disgraceful situation – just a couple of hundred yards off the town’s Main Street.
The road which runs beside these back gardens forms a much used walking link with the river-side Nuns’ Walk with Creamery Lane and through An Ríocht AC.
The mindset at work here is in stark contrast to what’s going on in the town in general as the local community college transition year students and the Tidy Towns group have joined forces in recent years in award winning environmental projects.
The Kerry County Clean-Up was first rolled out in 2012 with 500 volunteers taking part and they collected 5,000 bags of rubbish, the numbers taking part in 2018 rose to 5,500 but, unfortunately, so did the amount of rubbish collected which hit the 8,000 bag mark.
