On August 2nd, 2026, Thurles.Info highlighted the growing litter problem caused by drinks containers being discarded on streets, roadsides and in public spaces around Thurles and other Irish towns.
Among the containers increasingly being found are round aluminium BuzzBallz cocktail cans and miniature plastic bottles used for spirits and cocktail mixes. Many of these containers cannot be returned through Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme.
The scheme generally covers PET plastic drinks bottles and aluminium or steel drinks cans with a capacity of between 150ml and three litres. However, containers must also display the Re-turn logo and carry a barcode registered with the Irish scheme. To be accepted, they must be empty, undamaged and retain their original shape. Consequently, an imported or unregistered container may be rejected by a Reverse Vending Machine, even when it is made from aluminium or PET plastic and falls within the specified volume range. Miniature glass bottles and containers made from plastics other than PET remain outside the scheme.
Government Minister’s office contacted Following publication of that report, we contacted Minister of State Mr Alan Dillon, who has responsibility for the Circular Economy at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
We received the following standard automated acknowledgement: “Thank you for your email to Minister of State Alan Dillon’s Office. Your correspondence will be brought to the attention of the Minister and relevant officials in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Please be advised that if the issue raised in your correspondence is more appropriate to another Government Department or Agency, your correspondence will be forwarded to that organisation for direct response, in accordance with the provisions of the Department’s Data Protection Policy.”
This acknowledgement merely confirms receipt of our correspondence. It provides no substantive response to the litter problem raised and offers no indication as to what action, if any, may be taken.
“100% recyclable” is not the same as being eligible for a deposit refund. Result littering.
Bottled water without the Re-turn logo We have again contacted Minister Dillon’s office after observing Irish retailers selling multipacks of bottled water whose packaging states that the bottles are “100% recyclable”, but which do not appear to display the official Re-turn logo.
“100% recyclable” is not the same as being eligible for a deposit refund Under the published scheme rules, in-scope containers must display the Re-turn logo and carry a barcode registered with the scheme. Re-turn states that all in-scope drinks containers placed on the Irish market must meet these labelling requirements.
The water shown in our accompanying photograph above is sold in 500ml plastic bottles; a size that would normally fall within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme if the bottles are made from PET plastic and properly registered. Their apparent lack of a Re-turn logo therefore raises questions as to why such products are being offered for sale and whether Irish consumers can return them for a deposit refund.
Without a financial incentive to return these bottles, more of them are ending up discarded along roadsides, on streets and in other public places, adding to an already serious litter nuisance.
Consumers who see a recycling symbol may understandably believe that a bottle can be placed in a Reverse Vending Machine. If the machine then rejects it because its barcode is not registered or because it lacks the required Re-turn marking, the system becomes confusing and public confidence is weakened.
We now respectfully ask Minister Dillon and his Department to clarify:
Why drinks containers that appear to fall within the scheme’s material and volume requirements are still being offered for sale without the Re-turn logo? Whether retailers are permitted to sell such products in Ireland? Which authority is responsible for inspecting retailers and enforcing compliance/ What measures will be taken to include, or otherwise address, aluminium cocktail containers, miniature bottles and other drinks packaging currently falling outside the scheme? Whether the Deposit Return Scheme will be reviewed to prevent avoidable gaps that contribute to litter?
Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme can reduce litter only when the containers most likely to be discarded are included and when consumers can easily identify what is returnable.
A recyclable container that cannot be returned is still a container that can become litter.
The deteriorating condition of the River Suir cannot be treated as a new discovery.
For years, residents, anglers and environmental campaigners have raised concerns about pollution, excessive vegetation, restricted flows and the general neglect of the river through Thurles and surrounding areas. Yet meaningful, coordinated action by elected representatives, Tipperary County Council and the responsible State agencies has been painfully slow. VIEW HERE and note date, November 7th 2013.
Note the dates of the following links published over the past 13 years
Recent statements and a carefully produced publicity videos may create the impression of decisive political intervention. But inspections, promises and political photo opportunities are not substitutes for an agreed restoration programme, clear accountability and work on the ground.
Ministerial Visit Raises More Questions Than It Does Answers. Minister of State Mr Kevin Moran recently visited sections of the Suir in Thurles and Holycross following representations from Independent TD Mr Michael Lowry. Not for the first time Deputy Lowry says the Office of Public Works will support an application from Tipperary County Council, under the enhanced Minor Flood Mitigation Works Scheme. The expanded scheme reportedly allows councils to seek 95% funding for eligible works costing up to €2 million.
Pictures of the River Suir bed not shown in “Team Lowry’s” promotional video. The litter remains almost six weeks after the Liberty Music Festival, with no proper clean-up and no bin near “Wino’s Corner” despite repeated requests to Tipperary County Council.
All such commitments is welcome, but it remains only a commitment to support an application. The public has not yet been given a detailed proposal identifying:- The exact works to be undertaken. The evidence that those works will improve the river. The environmental assessments required. The project’s anticipated cost and timetable. The agencies responsible for delivering and monitoring it.
After years of warnings, the people of Tipperary are entitled to something more substantial than another announcement.
Where Have Our Representatives and Council Officials Been? The present condition of the Suir did not develop overnight. Local representatives and council officials have had ample opportunity to inspect the river, consult anglers and environmental groups, engage the relevant agencies and develop a long-term plan. Instead, the response has too often appeared fragmented and reactive.
Councillor Micheál Lowry and his father, Deputy Michael Lowry TD, are now drawing attention to conditions that local campaigners say have been evident for more than a decade. Their intervention must therefore be judged by what it delivers, not by the number of statements, videos or the ministerial visits it generates.
Other pictures of the River Suir bed not shown in “Team Lowry’s” promotional video. The litter remains in the river, together with 6 Supermarket trollies, almost six weeks after the Liberty Music Festival, with no proper clean-up and no bin near “Wino’s Corner” despite repeated requests to Tipperary County Council.
It should be noted:Thurles Town Park bye-laws were formally made by Tipperary County Council acting through the Templemore–Thurles Municipal District, and they came into operation on March 1st 2016. Available evidence indicates that those bye-laws then regulated alcohol consumption in the park, but this bye-law today remains totally ignored by all and sundry.
The same standard must be applied to Tipperary County Council. If the Council intends to seek OPW funding, it should publish its proposal and explain how any vegetation removal, blockage clearance or flood-related work will be reconciled with water quality, fisheries and habitat protection.
This Is More Than a Question of Appearance The problem cannot be reduced to reeds, bulrushes or an untidy riverbank. The Suir catchment covers approximately 3,500 square kilometres. Catchments.ie has previously identified excess phosphorus from sources including wastewater, animal waste and fertilisers as a major water-quality pressure. Excess nutrients can drive eutrophication, damaging aquatic habitats and reducing ecological quality. Catchments.ie’s Suir assessment also shows why pollution sources vary across the catchment and require targeted measures rather than a single cosmetic response.
Low summer flows, pollution, heavy plant growth, sediment and physical obstructions may interact, but they are not necessarily the same problem. Removing vegetation without identifying the underlying causes will not, by itself, restore the river. Any intervention must be scientifically informed and developed with the relevant environmental and fisheries authorities.
Too Many Agencies—and Too Little Accountability Responsibility for the Suir is spread across numerous organisations, including: Tipperary County Council. The River Basin Management Service, (formerly LAWPRO). The Environmental Protection Agency. Inland Fisheries Ireland. The Office of Public Works. Uisce Éireann. The National Parks and Wildlife Service. Local landowners, anglers and recreational organisations.
This above complicated structure cannot continue to provide cover for delay and buck-passing. The public needs to know which body is leading the response, what each agency is responsible for and when measurable improvements will be delivered. The failure to prominently involve or even acknowledge the River Basin Management Service in recent Lowry political presentations is particularly difficult to understand.
Community Initiatives Must Be Supported; but Properly Coordinated. The Cashel, Golden and Tipperary Anglers Association is reportedly considering seeking assistance to hire specialist equipment to remove bulrushes from parts of the riverbed. Separately, NoreVision is reported to be progressing proposals for River Suir and River Barrow trusts. Such trusts could help communities undertake practical restoration, education and awareness projects, provided they have appropriate scientific guidance, sustainable funding and constructive relationships with public agencies. Community organisations can make an enormous contribution, but volunteers should not be expected to compensate indefinitely for failures of statutory responsibility.
Public “Save Our Suir” Meeting in Cahir. A public information meeting is scheduled following a recent committee meeting of the Cashel, Golden and Tipperary Anglers Association. Date: Wednesday, August 26th, 2026. Time: 7:30pm. Venue: Cahir House Hotel. Tel.: 052 7443000. Admission: Open to all. Note: I could not independently locate an official online notice confirming the above event, thus intending attendees should check the organiser’s latest announcement before travelling.
The “Save Our Suir” proposed meeting offers residents, anglers, landowners, recreational users and environmental campaigners an opportunity to hear what is being proposed and to demand answers from those responsible.
The Suir Needs a Plan; NOT Another Vote Catching Publicity Exercise. The River Suir is an ecological, recreational and economic asset belonging to the entire community. Its future cannot be protected through disconnected funding announcements, short-term clearance projects or political sound-bites.
Those attending any Cahir meeting should demand: A published, science-based assessment of the river’s condition. Identification and investigation of pollution sources. A costed restoration and maintenance programme. A clear division of responsibility among the Council and State agencies. Meaningful consultation with anglers, environmental specialists, landowners and residents. Public reporting against firm delivery dates.
After years of warnings, elected representatives and council officials must be held accountable for the absence of effective action. The question is no longer whether the River Suir is under pressure. The question is who will take responsibility and how soon tangible work will begin.
The removal of parking spaces is now harming town-centre businesses in both Cashel and Thurles.
Cllr Roger Kennedy recently raised the alarm at a meeting of the Tipperary – Cahir – Cashel Municipal District. He said road-realignment works in Cashel had removed 12 parking spaces, leaving fewer places for passing customers and discouraging people from stopping in to shop locally.
Thurles traders know this story only too well. Successive traffic and public-realm changes have reduced town-centre parking, while the approved second phase of the Liberty Square scheme will remove further spaces. Traders strongly opposed that plan, warning that it could damage businesses and put further jobs at risk. Nevertheless, it was proposed by Cllr Ms Peggy Ryan, seconded by Cllr Mr Seán Ryan and approved by the municipal-district members. Against this background, Tipperary County Council is pressing ahead with countywide “harmonised” parking charges.
So who came up with that idea? The review began following calls from Clonmel councillors. Former Director of Services, Mr Marcus O’Connor, promised the review, after which the council’s Infrastructure Strategic Policy Committee and officials developed the tiered charging system. The final Parking Bye-Laws 2026 were approved by the full County Council on 13th July 2026.
Background to the parking review. Thurles already had paid parking, it dates back at least to the former Thurles Town Council’s 2005 bye-laws. In April 2025, the elected members of Thurles Municipal District adopted replacement bye-laws retaining paid parking in Thurles. The 2026 countywide scheme now places Thurles in Tier 2 and is intended to standardise parking charges across the county.
The council says parking charges encourage turnover and help make spaces available to shoppers. But that argument becomes increasingly difficult to accept when the council is simultaneously approving schemes that remove the very spaces shoppers need.
You cannot improve parking turnover in spaces that no longer exist.
You cannot encourage people to shop locally while making it progressively more difficult—and more expensive—for them to stop.
You cannot speak about revitalising town centres while ignoring traders who depend on passing customers and convenient short-stay parking.
The issue is not simply parking charges, nor is it simply the removal of spaces. It is the combined effect:
Fewer town-centre parking spaces.
Charges on much of what remains.
Increased competition from out-of-town retailers offering free parking.
Less convenience for older people and those with limited mobility.
Reduced passing trade for independent businesses.
Decisions proceeding despite strong concerns from local traders.
There was significant resistance even among councillors themselves. An amendment allowing municipal districts to provide a one-hour-free-parking option passed by only 19 votes to 17. That close vote shows how divided elected representatives were over the council executive’s original 20-minutes-free proposal.
Cashel and Thurles need a joined-up parking policy based on the actual number of spaces available, business needs, accessibility and independently measured town-centre footfall, not a one-size-fits-all charging exercise.
Before further spaces are removed or new charges take effect, Tipperary County Council should publish:
The total number of spaces removed in each town during the past five years.
The number due to be removed under approved schemes.
The expected effect on footfall and local businesses.
Current occupancy and turnover figures.
A clear plan for replacement parking.
The names and recorded votes of councillors who approved the relevant schemes and bye-laws.
Local businesses are being asked to survive with fewer customers, fewer convenient spaces and additional parking costs. That is not town-centre regeneration, but rather an obstacle to it.
Thurles, Co. Tipperary has apparently developed an innovative transport policy; to force enormous juggernauts through streets designed when the principal form of heavy traffic had four legs and ate hay.
Available to view on Mill Road, Thurles, one of two signs within metres of each other, originally warning of a dangerous junction and dangerous bends. Pic: G. Willoughby.
The predictable result can be seen in the accompanying, undeniable video shown hereunder; for months damaged signs, battered street furniture, demolished walls, uprooted and dinged bollards and not surprisingly yet another enormous bill waiting for the over-stretched ratepayer.
If the claim that 90% of signs are seriously damaged is to be stated as fact, Tipperary County Council should immediately conduct and publish a proper survey. What is already beyond dispute is that the council; not passing motorists or magical road-sign fairies, is totally responsible for maintaining signs on local and regional roads.
Video courtesy of G. Willoughby. (Feel free to copy/share).
Local residents may know every turn in Thurles by instinct, by memory and generations of experience, but tourists, delivery drivers and other non locals do not. They depend on clear, visible signs to identify directions, restrictions and hazards.
Damaged or unreadable signage is therefore more than an embarrassment; it creates a genuine road-safety concern, particularly where unfamiliar drivers must make sudden decisions while navigating narrow, heavily trafficked streets. The Road Safety Authority expressly identifies regulatory, warning and information signs as essential guidance for tourists using Irish roads. Visitors should receive directions, not an unscheduled navigation exam, with a juggernaut approaching from the opposite direction.
For years, Thurles residents have heard about an Inner Relief Road and an Outer Bypass. The council’s 2024 – 2030 Local Area Plan still describes both as projects for which funding must be secured. The Inner Relief Road alone is intended to provide a 1.1-kilometre connection between the N62 and Mill Road, while the proposed bypass would link the N62, N75 and R498.
In 2025, only €100,000 was allocated to progress the Inner Relief Road’s detailed design. That is progress in the same sense that buying a doormat means your house is nearly built.
Mr Michael Lowry TD, Mr Alan Kelly TD and Mr Ryan O’Meara TD must now provide the public with something more useful than announcements, photographs and recycled assurances.
The evidence for action is already visible on the road. Official data published for the N62 at Turtulla records an average of 9,539 vehicle movements every day. More importantly, Tipperary County Council’s own Thurles Local Transport Plan concludes that the proposed road schemes would reduce total traffic in the town-centre core by approximately 20%, cut traffic crossing the River Suir bridge by more than 50%, and reduce town-centre heavy-goods traffic by approximately 50%.
The same plan states that roughly three-quarters of the predicted reduction would involve strategic traffic that neither begins nor ends its journey in Thurles. Vehicles presently passing through the town would use a suitable alternative route which presently does not exist. These are not speculative complaints, they are the council’s own measurements and modelling, providing compelling evidence that the relief road and bypass are necessary for safer streets, more reliable commercial access and a town centre that can perhaps function more effectively.
Thurles Needs Immediately:-
► A confirmed and fully funded delivery programme for the Inner Relief Road. ►A published timetable for the bypass. ► A professional audit of damaged signs and street furniture. ►A costed plan to prevent heavy vehicles repeatedly causing further damage. ►Clear public reporting of who sought funding, when it was sought and what response was received.
Thurles residents have waited long enough. They deserve proper engineering, funding and dates, not another series of ceremonial announcement that the announcement of a future announcement is progressing according to plan.
As of approximately 1:40pm, today, Sunday, August 2nd 2026, it has been confirmed that a fire has again reignited on the southern slopes of Slievenamon, outside Clonmel in County Tipperary.
Tipperary County Council reported that crews from Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir fire stations were responding to the incident and working to contain the affected area. Aerial firefighting support was also requested to assist operations.
Importantly, officials said that, at the time of the update, there was no threat to life or property. The situation was being closely monitored, with emergency resources remaining in place as required.
This appears to be a renewed flare-up connected to the major wildfire that has affected Slievenamon since July 20th and not a confirmed new fire beginning. Authorities had previously warned that hotspots could remain beneath the surface for a prolonged period and reignite during warm, dry or otherwise favourable conditions. Substantial, sustained rainfall may be needed to dampen the affected ground and vegetation fully.
People should avoid the affected area, allow emergency crews unrestricted access and report visible fire or immediate danger through 999 or 112.
Further verified updates will be published as they become available.
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