VICO ROAD
NOT A PLACE FOR
A RECYCLING BANK!
September 2004
The Vico Road, Killiney is probably one of the most scenic areas in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown. During the summer the Council placed two large recycling containers right at the heart of the viewing area. These containers blocked the view of the bay for many tourists and local visitors alike. Fianna Fáil Councillors Larry Butler and Cormac Devlin tabled the following motion.
Motion:
Councillor Larry Butler and Councillor Cormac Devlin
That the Manager remove the bottle bank at Vico Road to a more suitable site as its current location is totally unsuitable in a service area.
Reply:
The bottle bank at Vico Road was installed in early 2004 as part of the Bottle Banks Project (Phase 1) for the Dublin region. This project is part of an integrated approach to waste management by the Dublin local authorities and is grant aided by the Government.
This is driven by the growing desire among members of the public to have more recycling facilities available and the two major policy statements from the government.
(i)Waste Management – Changing Our Ways, and
(ii)Preventing & Recycling Waste – Delivering Change (2002).
These statements require that waste management deliver ambitious waste recycling levels and reduce landfill demand. This in effect means that Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council must reduce the amount of general refuse going to landfill and also to increase the amount of (glass) recycling within the county
The current Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Litter Management Plan advocates one ‘convenience bring centre for every 1250 of population’. This would require over 150 bottle banks in the county. There are currently around 65 bottle banks in place. Glass recycling in this county, although increasing, remains well below target levels for the existing population.
The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and Repak have made it clear that funding for bottle banks under the Bottle Bank Project (Phase 2) will not be available if sites are not identified and established. This Project is currently seeking locations for additional sites in this county. Funding from the councils own budgets is not currently available.
The Vico Road bottle bank yields approx 0.4 tonnes per week or over 20 tonnes of glass this year. Clearly many members of the public are using it. The site at Burmah Road/Killiney Hill Park had been identified at the same time as the Vico Road site and was also installed under the Schaefer Bottle-bank Program (Phase 1)
In other European countries recycling amenities are provided at a far higher density than has been achieved in this Local Authority and these facilities become accepted as part of the normal infrastructure needs of the area.
The Council and other Dublin Local Authorities are facing acute difficulties regarding landfill space. There are three landfills serving the Dublin area at the moment. They are Ballyogan landfill (due to close this year), Balealy in Fingal (due to close in 2008) and Authurstown, Kill, Co. Kildare (due to close in 2007). A new landfill is currently being planned for the Dublin area and we are obliged to ensure that the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ practice is encouraged and facilitated as best we can. This would significantly reduce the size of the proposed new landfill and our general progress in implementing the ‘three R’s’will be one of the criteria on which the size of the new landfill will be determined.
The Council currently employ a Green Business Officer and an Environmental Education Officer to promote these practices and assist groups of people and schools in the county to develop more environmentally friendly waste management. A comprehensive network of convenient bottlebanks is a critical part of our waste management policy.
Following a discussion during which Mr. Peter Goodwin, Senior Engineer responded to the Member’s queries it was agreed that a further report on an alternative site be brought to a future Dún Laoghaire Area Committee Meeting.
UP-DATE: This bottle bank was finally removed by the Council.
