Bin record defended

Beach bin record defended

Michael Duffy

MAYO County Council have defended their record at removing rubbish from bins located at beaches across the county.
A letter of complaint was written last week to County Manager, Des Mahon, by Cathy Kilcoyne of Ballyvary about the litter situation on Carrowniskey Beach near Louisburgh. She described the concrete bins at the popular surfing spot as ‘overflowing with waste’.
“Beach-goers are continuing to pile bags of waste on top of the bins and when the wind blows, rubbish is strewn several metres away from the bins. It’s disgusting, unhygienic and a blight on a beautiful landscape,” stated Ms Kilcoyne, who felt that the bins should be removed altogether as ‘people need to take responsibility for their own waste and not be encouraged to leave it at the beach’.
However, Mr John Condon of Mayo County Council, said the Council had to provide bins at beaches and in general they are proud of the way the beaches around the county are maintained.
“People have to have the option of disposing of their waste and we have 13 blue flag beaches – so we must be doing something right. We collect the rubbish from the beaches on a regular basis and in general they are litter free,” said Mr Condon, who acknowledged that the bins could well be full in Carrowniskey on occasion as it is a very popular beach with surfers.
“There is a possibility that after a surfing competition or a large gathering that the bins could well be full and we will monitor the situation to see if more bins are needed at the busier beaches. However, most of the beaches are likely to be relatively quiet until next spring due to weather conditions,” said Mr Condon.