Significant reduction in litter in Kidare due to Deposit Return Scheme

A KILDARE Tidy Towns groups has noticed a "significant", reduction in litter from plastic bottles and cans since the introduction of Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme.

Cllr Bill Clear who is part of the Naas Tidy Towns and also mayor of Naas Municipal District said volunteers have noticed a marked decline in bottles and cans during regular litter picks, with many now being collected by members of the public before they become litter.

"We've seen a significant drop in litter from bottles and cans," he said. "We're actually seeing homeless people picking up litter. There wouldn't be too many cans left now, maybe the odd one that's flattened on the road."

He added that volunteers have also observed children and other residents collecting containers to redeem deposits, while some people have been removing bottles and cans directly from public bins before council collections.

Although the scheme has reduced one of the most common forms of litter, he believes improvements are still needed.

 One concern raised is that the vending machines can reject containers that are damaged or have unreadable labels, something he says frustrates the public.

"Why do they need to have the label scanned? They're all plastic and they're all cans," he said. "People get very frustrated when machines reject a can that's slightly crumpled."

He argued that unclaimed deposits and surplus revenue generated by the scheme should be reinvested in environmental initiatives like Tidy Towns groups rather than remaining with the scheme operator.

"It should go back into street cleaning and environmental work."

Despite welcoming the reduction in bottles and cans, he said other forms of litter continue to present major challenges.

"Cigarette butts are the biggest issue and the hardest to pick up," he said, with disposable coffee cups and takeaway packaging also remaining persistent problems.

Drive-thru restaurants were highlighted as a significant source of litter, particularly along Millennium Road at weekends, where volunteers regularly collect discarded packaging.

The group also continues to deal with illegal dumping, including household waste left in public bins, particularly around Corban’s Lane. 

According to cllr Clear, this has led to some bins being removed from areas where domestic waste dumping became a persistent problem.

Cllr Clear also pointed to the success of CCTV enforcement in tackling littering, saying cameras had resulted in dozens of litter fines. 

He said similar measures are now being rolled out to other litter blackspots across the county.

Naas Tidy Towns currently has around 50 active volunteers who carry out litter picks every single day. 

Naas remains one of Ireland's cleanest towns, and cllr Clear reckons this comes down to the high standard of cleanliness in the town. 

"If a place is clean, people are much less likely to litter. If someone drops litter in Naas, people are more likely to challenge them."