Littering ‘misery’ at Co Down beauty spots

At the council’s October meeting of its Active and Healthy Communities Committee, elected members agreed to an Alliance party motion looking at devising an action plan to fight littering in the borough, which has the longest stretch of coastline in Northern Ireland.

The motion, by Alderman Martin McRandal, states the council “acknowledges the financial costs that it incurs disposing of litter and taking enforcement action” and adds it must take further action to “positively influence the attitude of some people towards littering.”

The chamber agreed to look at further action to inform the public about the harms of littering and to attempt to “change people’s attitudes.”

Alderman Martin McRandal said at the meeting: “I will take you back to the good spells of weather we had over the summer.

"On the weekends and good evenings people flocked to places like Seapark, Helen’s Bay and Ballyholme, to enjoy the good weather, and because they are beautiful places.

“That of course brings with it issues, and one of the main issues, as we see every year during spells of good weather, is litter. People bring with them drinks, food, disposable barbecues and a long list of other expendable items, and leave them behind.

“Not everyone does this of course, in fact I would say most people act responsibly. However it is a big issue, and on council property it is left to council staff, and often to volunteers to clean up.”

He said: “Waste disposal is a major expense for rate payers. Cleaning up litter is a significant, and to a large part unnecessary, element of that.

“I have been regularly cleaning beaches for five years, and in that time I have seen a positive change in people’s attitudes towards litter in general. A greater proportion of people today would take the view that your litter is your responsibility, and if you can carry food and drink containers to the beach, you can take them away empty.

“Fewer people would take the view that litter issues are due to not enough bins or cleansing staff. It is down to organisations and individuals, including the council, pushing that message.”

He said the council has three distinct roles in terms of litter management, cleaning up the mess, at a cost to ratepayers, enforcement with deterrents, and education. He said that “influencing behaviours” and education had to be “taken much more seriously.”

He said: “Unless we do so, we will continue as we have been, spending ratepayers money picking up the mess. Realistically, there is only so much Ards and North Down Borough Council can do in isolation.

“We need to be looking at how we can work in partnership with government departments, other councils and other interested parties. We should be looking at best practice elsewhere. I am suggesting we implement a formal litter action plan which would put focus on the issues.

“Litter is something that exercises and vexes residents, particularly when it is concentrated at our beauty spots in periods of good weather.”

UUP Councillor David Chambers said: “Littering is a real pet peeve of mine. Alongside dog fouling, I think it is something we should be coming down hard on, but doing what we can to educate people at the same time.

“Littering is fundamentally a cultural issue, and trying to change attitudes and behaviours isn’t something we are going to do overnight.”

Green Party Councillor Barry McKee said: “There has been a focus on our enforcement in recent times, and I would agree with the criticism of the level of fines we have handed out, and for dog fouling, but we can’t lose sight of the fact it can’t be the only part of our approach.”

DUP Councillor Carl McClean, who forwarded a similar motion relating to dog fouling earlier this year, said: “I don’t think we need nice friendly signs, I think we need signs saying we will absolutely prosecute you if we catch you littering. It is not so much an educational thing as a behavioural thing, caring about yourself and the people around you.”