2,000+ fag butts could jeopardise Fermoy's chances in Anti Litter stakes
Fermoy stands to lose out on first place in the Cork County Council Anti Litter Challenge, due to the high number of cigarette butts littering the paths and streets.
In the second round of the judging, there were up to 41 butts in the one area, with only two areas having no cigarette butts or litter. Separately, the 'Fermoy, A Cleaner Town' competition also show that more than 2,000 butts were counted in the town.
Chairman of the Fermoy Business Action Group, Cllr Noel McCarthy and PRO for the Tidy Towns Group, Cllr Tadhg O'Donovan, are now calling on people to dispose of their cigarette butts properly and they have suggested that business people should work with the council to install bins for cigarettes outside their premises.
In the first two rounds of the Anti Litter challenge, Fermoy was in second place and then plummeted to fourth place, but the councillors said that if the groundwork is put in, Fermoy could climb back up to its former high standard.
They said that the cigarette butts represent the greatest negative impact on their results and this week, as the final round of judging takes place, they are urging people to sweep outside their shops, businesses and homes and to make sure that every scrap of litter is removed.
"Cigarette butts are undermining the efforts of all associated with improving the image of our town, which is all the more important in these recessionary times, if we as a community are to be resilient and fight back to retain Fermoy town as a worthwhile community and residential entity," Cllr O'Donovan told The Avondhu.
"We are at a crossroads as regards the issue, we as a community could ignore the criticism and continue to keep our heads in the sand or we could be proactive and take steps to reduce and eliminate cigarette butts - the choice is ours," he added.
The playground green area and John Anderson's Place were the cleanest with no litter or cigarette butts, while from Gaelscoil de hÍde and 50 metres up the hill, there were 30 cigarette butts and six pieces of litter and Cllr McCarthy made the point that smoking outside the school and littering the area with cigarette debris should be clamped down on.
"All of the pubs make provisions for people to dispose of their cigarette butts and if those bins were around the town, there would be no excuse. If we make that point, people will use the bins if they are there. We all have a responsibility to keep the town clean, so we need to take the criticism on board and make it right," Cllr McCarthy concluded.
Chairman of the anti litter sub committee, Cllr John Murphy agreed with the sentiments of his fellow councillors, also noted that in the first round of judging for the 'Fermoy, A Cleaner Town' competition, more than 2,000 cigarette butts were counted.
Published:
Friday 14th June 11:55am
