A novel method of getting community groups and the business community involved in keeping the roads and laneways of Ennis tidy is being rolled out by Ennis Town Council.
Elected Members this week approved the ‘Adopt a Roads Scheme’, which is aimed at reducing the amount of litter that resides on road verges and residential areas within the town.
Elected Members this week approved the ‘Adopt a Roads Scheme’, which is aimed at reducing the amount of litter that resides on road verges and residential areas within the town.
The programme gives businesses and groups the opportunity to assist in reducing the amount of litter, who in return gain free advertising highlighting the efforts of the business or group in trying to reduce the amount of litter and its associated problems within the area.
The Council is inviting local community groups and businesses to register their interest in participating in the scheme, which has already been piloted successfully by a number of other local authorities throughout the country.
According to Leonard Cleary, Town Clerk: “This scheme emerged as a response from Ennis Town Council seeking to improve marks in the Tidy Towns competition (under tidiness and litter) and to generally improve the town environment.”
Mr. Cleary added: “It is envisaged that businesses would make a commitment under the scheme to ‘Adopt a Road’ adjacent to their business. This would involve committing some of their staff to a weekly clean up of the adopted road. The scheme encourages residents of the area to work with the businesses that are cleaning the area and the voluntary sector (Tidy Towns). This aims to bring everyone together with the Council removing the waste collected. This monthly clean up would eventually become the norm with all pillars of our community working together.”
Explaining how the scheme operates, Gerry Murphy, Environmental Patrol Warden stated: “A designated stretch of road is allocated to a business or community group who wishes to adopt it. A permanent sign at one or both ends of this stretch or carriageway is erected, advertising that particular business or group has adopted a length of the road. The company or group then agrees with the Council a litter maintenance programme. This would involve arranging for a number of staff and or people to collect litter from the road verges along the designated stretch of road at an agreed number of times per year. The agreed advertising sign would then be erected along the adopted section of road. Reflective jackets and tools would be provided, allowing you to safely carry out the litter picking exercise. Once the litter picking exercise has been carried out, we will arrange for the bags of collected litter to be collected.”
Interest parties are being invited to apply to the scheme by contacting the Environment Section of Ennis Town Council at Waterpark House, Drumbiggle, Ennis, Co Clare, or by Email: info@ennistowncouncil.ie, Tel: 065 6828040 or Fax: 065 6828182.
