13/05/2004

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Initiatives on Litter

Mr. Pat the Cope Gallagher, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today (13 May) announced the allocation of €705,000 in grants to local authorities for public education and awareness initiatives on litter. The 2004 allocations bring to over €4.2 million the total amount of grants allocated to local authorities for anti-litter awareness initiatives since the introduction of the 1997 Litter Pollution Act.

"I am concerned that local authorities take all practical steps to raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by litter pollution and educate the public about their responsibilities under current legislation to prevent and control litter," Minister Gallagher said.

The grants to county and city councils are intended to cover a broad range of measures to raise public awareness and stimulate anti-litter activity at local level – measures such as local clean-ups, primary/secondary schools competitions, anti-litter videos, posters and other materials, information leaflets, local media campaigns, anti-litter exhibitions, etc. are typical of the projects eligible for grant aid. Local authorities can also use their grants to fund anti-litter activity related to the 2004 IBAL National Litter League – an example of one anti-litter initiative supporting local authority efforts in another sphere to strengthen their overall anti-litter performance.

Under devolved arrangements, the local authorities are responsible for selecting suitable projects and deciding on individual grant allocations, subject to specified criteria. The maximum grant allowed for any one project may be up to 70% of the project costs; the balance must be met by local contributions.

In announcing the 2004 grant allocations, the Minister acknowledged the efforts being made by local authorities generally to tackle the country's litter problem. "Local authorities have taken great strides to progressively combat the blight of litter pollution, but much still remains to be done," the Minister said. He therefore called on "local authorities and the local communities to come together to take whatever action is necessary to clean up their localities. The grants which I have allocated today will enable local authorities to engage in a wide range of activities to encourage a more supportive and responsible attitude public attitude towards litter."