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 Our recent post on Illegal Dumping and Weee collection here in Thurles, forces Thurles native Proinsias Barrett to put ‘pen to paper ‘ or should I say, in his case, ‘fingers to keyboard.’
More is the pity that others of our discerning readers do not follow suit, (Hint, Hint ) and express their views, remembering the quote by Irish political philosopher Edmund Burke “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
(Note: Leave a Comment tag is directly under each daily Post and we do really love hearing your views.)
Proinsias Comments:
“Where do we recycle unwanted politicians, or indeed unsuccessful former City Council Managers?
In Ireland Seanad Éireann is a good hiding place for rubbish politicians. They can keep their heads down and draw a good salary, or as recently mentioned in a national press article, they can decide to slip away to spend more time with their outrageously generous pensions…. and reminisce on all those great deeds they performed for the sake of Ireland. City Council Managers who presided over numerous fiasco’s simply find a gullible County Council to take them on as ‘County Managers‘, it’s great!
I see Thurles now has a third recycling bin added lately, a brown bin for food waste and garden clippings, grass etc. We got the full three bin system here in Galway City back in 2000/2001 and in general we are told is working out well enough. But where is this ‘fly-tipping ‘ (illegal dumping) epidemic emanating from? Obviously there are people who don’t subscribed to any collection service and these facts are well known by Councils. If a household is not signed up to a collection service then what are they doing with their rubbish?
The simple remedy for this situation is to ensure that everyone is subscribing to a collection service, and if they are not then it is up to the Council to find out why? If it is for financial reasons, then some arrangement has to be made with these ‘go-it-alones‘ until such time as the three bin system evolves and recycling achieves an 80% re-use rate and charges are substantially dropped for the household. Recycling will have to become just another routine in everyone’s life.
But I have always disagreed with the flat charge for household waste collection. From the first introduction of the wheelie bin system here in Galway a decade ago, I submitted my ideas to the City Council (for all the interest they showed) when the public was invited to submit ideas relating to waste management etc. If households are properly separating their refuse, with intent, into the corresponding bins, the only charge on the household should be on the land fill bin, the one which contains items which cannot be recycled.
I went so far as to suggest that if households comply completely with recycling directives and recommendations, they should be paid for the raw materials they are giving the collection companies every week for free.
The Recycling industry is obviously a financially viable one, else no-one would be in the business. Why charge for what is essentially a raw material being collected and re-used (paper, cardboard, plastic, tin etc)
Again it’s a case of just not following through on introduced legislation. People are left to their own devices as usual. There are no inspectors (yep, bin inspectors, we had them in Galway for about two months when the bins were first introduced, then removed due to a lack of funding). Still almost twelve years on from the recycling initiative in Galway many apartment complexes are still operating a communal skip system … just throw in your black plastic sack full of everything and off it goes to land fill, and the Council aren’t interested. Some apartment dwellers share a three bin system with their neighbours resulting in one apartment making huge efforts to recycle everything and their neighbour dumping black sacks of mixed refuse into which ever bin appears least used.
Without a common sense approach backed up by information, encouragement and finally enforcement, our recycling system here in Ireland is becoming another half hearted attempt, handed over to private operators, and now there is a multinational demanding that an incinerator be opened at Poolbeg in Dublin which will require massive tonnage to ensure viability, this is a complete reversal of recycling initiatives…. one hand doesn’t seem to know what the other is doing! Oh Man! “
The arrival of just one new born baby, in any home, is an expensive occasion, especially in recessionary times, what with Pay Cuts, Rising Food Prices, Universal Social Charges and high Unemployment.
Imagine therefore the problems experienced by Thomas and Theresa Thrush, resident here in Thurles, when quadruplets arrived on Easter Sunday last, taking up residence in their one roomed mud dwelling.
It’s hard going, feeding four babies, whose mouths are constantly open, demanding to be fed, as the video hereunder demonstrates, however the parenting skills of Thomas and Theresa seem to be “up to the mark,” despite having no previous experience in child care.
Here in Ireland the Song Thrush (Turdus Philomelos) is a very common bird, usually found breeding in forests, gardens and parks. It is easily identified by its brownish upper-parts and black-spotted buff underparts.
The female Song Thrush builds a cup-shaped nest, beginning in the month of April. The nest is usually lined with mud and dry grass and on occasion these materials can include bits of twine and plastic paper, e.g. sweet wrappers that she finds lying about. The nests are usually found in tall hedges,trees or hidden in creeping plant such as Ivy, and approximately six feet above ground level.
Theresa this year laid four bright glossy blue eggs which were lightly spotted with black / purplish markings. She incubated her eggs, alone, for 15/16 days with occasional daily visits from her husband Thomas. The four fledgelings now born, are continuing to thrive, but their biggest threat, here in an urban setting over the coming days, will come from domestic cats and magpies.
Thomas and Theresa Thrush are both omnivorous, eating a wide range of invertebrates, but especially insects, earthworms and snails, as well as most soft fruit and berries. Garden pests such as snails are an important part of their diet during times of drought or harsh weather. These birds often use a favourite stone as an “anvil,” to smash the snail before extracting the soft fleshy interior, which it invariably wiped on the ground to remove bits of shell casing, before consumption. The Thrush can be easily observed skipping along the grass in search of food, with its head tilted to one side, since its eyes are on the side of its head.
It is easy to identify a Song Thrush by its sound which has repeated musical phrases. Indeed in the poem by the romantic poet, William Wordsworth, entitled “The Tables Turned,” he refers to the sound of the Song Thrush, and writes:
“Hark, how blithe the throstle sings, And he is no mean preacher,
Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.”
 Part of Tipperary's Lough Derg shore line. The Shannon Protection Alliance will hold a public meeting next Thursday, April 28th at the Lough Derg Yacht Club in Dromineer.
The purpose of this meeting is to raise awareness and if possible also establish another branch of its group which are currently opposed to controversial plans by Dublin City Council to extract massive volumes of water from the river Shannon.
This proposed water extraction scheme is an attempt to boost dwindling water supplies in Ireland’s capital. The proposed plan is to extract water from Lough Derg, the largest of 3 lakes on the Shannon River, at the rate of 350 million litres per day, via a reservoir and treatment plant to be situated near Portarlington.
The Shannon Protection Alliance, which was founded at a public meeting in Athlone on April 20th 2007, state that this water extraction equates to the amount of water which leaks from the present day Dublin piped water system.
This €470 million scheme, if put into effect, would see water pumped from Lough Derg to the Dublin region and to other commuter towns along its path.
However according to Shannon Protection Alliance chairman Mr Gerry Siney, the scheme is unnecessary and the highly controversial plan has not considered the needs of local communities living along the Shannon /Tipperary border and any implementation would immediately effect the future economic development and ecosystem of this mid-west region.
As many people as possible are invited to attend and make their views known at the meeting on Thursday next.
Over the past 25 years, due to the failure of all ‘Elected Representatives ‘ and indeed others, taking on the mantle of responsibility for promoting Thurles, little has been achieved in the way of job creation. Town residents have had to listen to tortuous, self promoting and political vote catching pontification from representatives, while little real industry has been attracted offering real job creation prospects to the town and surrounding areas.
Instead, any real anchored industry, offering good employment in the town, e.g. Erin Foods, Sugar Factory etc., has been allowed to slowly evaporated, without any real effort to obtain any kind of replacement.
Now it would appear that the word ‘Jobs ‘ immediately has everyone dropping to their knees in devout gratitude, even if these jobs are a minuscule reward for permitting ‘Dirty Industry ‘ into the heart of our residential estates. It is not surprising therefore that the Tipperary Star newspaper this week carries a headlines declaring “Anger as Thurles Recycling Centre Gets Go Ahead.”
From this article we glean that a proposed ‘Recycling Centre ‘ is to be located at the now desolate old Thurles Sugar Factory site in Cabragh and has been given the ‘green light ‘, after planning permission was granted for this facility by North Tipperary County Council. We learn from the beneficial owner, quote “The Council’s decision is a green light for the creation of much needed jobs, (Possibly 5 low paid jobs) for a cleaner county, a better environment and a new recycling service for households and businesses on the site of the old Sugar Factory.”
Note that stated word ‘Jobs ‘ folks, but before you fall to your knees in prayer and thanksgiving, ask the simple questions:-
(a) “What will be the personal cost of such industry.
(b) “Why is such a facility, which attracts foul smells, pollution-spewing trucks, dust and debris blowing around, being located in the centre of a residential area, metres from an Environmental Heritage Site, close to a Golf Course and south of our town.”
Note: I have drawn attention to the positioning of this facility as ‘South of Thurles ‘, since our annual prevailing wind, for 80% of the year, blows from the south west and would carrying the litter, pollutants and stench, generated by this facility, right across the most populated areas of Thurles.
Opponents to the proposed plan, The Cabragh/Ballycurrane Residents Association, justifiable argue that the proposed transfer station will adversely impact on the environment, discourage future development, lower property values even further in a depleted market place and invite even further traffic unto a dangerous narrow, minor road.
“But what about the ‘Jobs ” I cried? The replies came hard and fast from angry residents, “Why would future clean industry offering real employment, want to invest in an area where this dirty industry is operated? This project means long term foul smells, pollution-spewing trucks, raising noise levels, airborne infections, latter requiring long hospitalizations (Of course, I had forgotten that all our Elected Representatives had failed to save our North Tipperary Hospital, also.) and dust/debris blowing around our gardens.
I now asked residents the following questions, in an effort to get at the root of their anger:-
(Q) What is proposed for the “Old Sugar Factory” site?
(A) A Waste Transfer Station.
(Q) What is a Waste Transfer Station?
(A) Rubbish is collected and brought to this site, where it is separated and bailed for onward transmission.
(Q) What type of rubbish?
(A) All sorts. Household, Brown, Green and Red Bin content, Industrial Waste, Skips, Construction and Demolition waste.
Continue reading Must Thurles Now Accept Dirty Industry?
 Tidy Towns 2011 The 2011 Tidy Towns Competition was officially launched today by Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Minister Hogan was joined in Farmleigh House by Mr. Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, latter once again, proud sponsors of this years competition.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Hogan said, “SuperValu and the Department of the Environment are asking people to get out and get their hands dirty for Tidy Towns in 2011. Last year saw over 760 towns and villages entering the competition and it is our intention that it will be even bigger and better this year.”
The Minister also expressed his gratitude to SuperValu, the competition’s sponsor, for their continued support over the last twenty years. “I’d like to thank SuperValu for their unwavering support which has helped to sustain and grow this competition over the years. It must be one of the longest-running sponsorships of its kind in Ireland.”
Thurles has taken part in the Tidy Towns Competition for many years increasing its points annually, mainly due to the magnificent work undertaken by Thurles Town Council staff, who are to be congratulated for their physical efforts in the planting of flowerbeds and litter control.
In September 2009, the overall National Tidy Towns Award was won deservedly by the village of Emly, in West Co. Tipperary.
Mr. Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu stated, “We live in challenging economic and social times, but what the Tidy Towns Awards demonstrate time and again, is the total commitment and dedication of people up and down the country to their local communities. For us there is no better way of demonstrating our commitment to helping build vibrant local communities than this sponsorship. Tidy Towns is a real example of the benefits that volunteering, hard work and perseverance can bring to a local community. The devotion of the Tidy Towns committees and their members is an inspiration to us all.”
In order to support the work of Tidy Towns groups, the Minister also announced a special grant to assist local authorities in improving the appearance of our urban and rural environment. These grants, totalling €350,000, are to support a once-off event to be called ‘Civic Responsibility Week ‘ which will run from May 9th to May15th.
The Minister stated, “I am pleased to launch this initiative which will assist local authorities in improving the visual amenity of their areas. With the forthcoming State visits it is important that we present our country in the best possible light, as a clean and green destination to live, work and do business. In order to maximise the impact of this initiative, I will be encouraging local authorities to strengthen their links with existing community groups, including Tidy Towns committees. I would ask these groups to seize this initiative. Today sees the launch of a new campaign which asks people to ‘get their hands dirty for Tidy Towns ‘ and I hope that ‘Civic Responsibility Week ‘ will give even further encouragement for more people to become involved.”
Speaking on ‘Enforcement Policy ‘ the Minister stated: “There remains within our society, a small group of people who continue to recklessly dump and litter. This behaviour must stop; it is socially unacceptable and has economic implications for our society as a whole. Tidy Towns has been improving the environment in which we live for decades and has helped to foster Ireland’s image abroad as ‘Clean and Green.’ I would like to see the competition continue to grow and I would encourage everybody to get out there and do their bit for their community.”
Note: The closing date for receipt of entries for this year’s Tidy Towns competition is May 20th 2011.
Tidy Town’s leaders can go straight to this years entry form by clicking here.
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