Roadside vacuum 'the only way' to deal with litter on Tipperary roads

The roadside litter vacuum that would be trialled by Tipperary County Council could be a game changer for the countryside, a local politician has stated.

Cllr John FitzGerald told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that this was the only way to deal with roadside litter.

Discarded tins, bottles and other items became a problem when they got into the roots of hedges.

When that happened, tidy towns committees and other groups couldn’t deal with it.

Such waste could remain in the undergrowth and dykes for decades and people were sick of it. If the litter vacuum worked it would have a great impact, he said.

Michael Moroney, Senior Executive Officer in the Environment and Climate Action Section of Tipperary County Council, said the vacuum would be introduced on a trial basis to see if it was worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Cllr Michael Murphy said he was disappointed when they learned that the burial grounds grants had been cut from €700 to €600 in the Clonmel district.

He wondered if this was under review before the grants would be paid in September.

Fifty grants had been paid in the Thurles district, all for €700, he said.

Cllr Murphy also welcomed the close collaboration between the council’s environment directorate and tidy towns groups.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose hoped that the full grant of €700 would be restored, especially taking the increase in the price of petrol into account.

Mr Moroney said he was aware that the whole area of burial grounds grants was being examined, although he wasn’t saying they would be increased.

The grants allocation was a budget issue and the cost had been provided for in this year’s budget, he added.