by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
THE chairman of the Buncrana Tidy Towns Initiative,
Seamus McLaughlin, has branded litter louts ‘morons’
and says the organisation is ‘at war’ with slobs who
have no respect for the town or the environment.
“Six months' work by the Town Council, the public
and our 30-odd volunteers will ensure that we reach,
and maybe surpass last year’s Tidy Town result,” Mr
McLaughlin said.
“But remember, we’re at war with slobs who have no
respect for our town or environment."
Mr McLaughlin said he filled his car boot with
dumped beer bottles at picturesque Stragill Strand
recently.
“The numerous bottle banks in the town were probably
closer for the morons that did the dumping, but
having to insert the bottles into the receptacles
one-by-one is far too much work for slobs,” he
fumed.
“Three or four volunteers regularly collect half a
dozen bags of rubbish between Buncrana and the
Lookout at Fahan,” he continued.
“That’s one way to keep the inside of your car clean
– toss it out the window.
“Is it any wonder that continental Europeans think
we’re the dirty Irish?”
Mr McLaughlin says the Tidy Towns group wants to see
more fines for littering offences and have asked
Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, to press
the Gardaí to enforce the anti-littering laws.
“Slobs don’t respond to being asked nicely, so maybe
a few €150 littering fines might get the message
across.”
He appealed to the public to join in a communal
effort to improve Buncrana’s performance in the
national Tidy Towns competition. Last year Buncrana
improved its score by a whopping 11 marks to an
all-time high of 287 points, winning a first ever
bronze medal award in the process.
“It was a great result, and we’re hoping to build on
that, but you can go backwards too – especially with
the slob element undermining all the good work.”
He suggested a number of ways in which the public
could support the group’s efforts in beautifying the
seaside town.
“If you don’t drop litter, that’s a contribution; if
you put your chewing gum in the bin, that’s a
contribution; if you plan a paint job for your
premises or home in the next six months, that’s a
major contribution.
Mr McLaughlin also appealed for new volunteers for
the weekly clean-up. The Tidy Town group meets at
the Tourist Office in Buncrana every Saturday
morning at 10am and works until 11.15am when they
wrap up over tea, coffee and sandwiches.
“There is such a thing as a free lunch,” Mr
McLaughlin quipped.
“You’re home before noon and know that you’ve helped
your community, enhanced your town and maybe helped
convince others that we’re not all slobs!” |
