6,500 poo bags swiped in Laois town

A TOTAL of 6,500 poo bags have been swiped in a Laois town in just six weeks, an average of more than 1,000 a week.

‘There's no way that many dogs are being walked,’ Mountmellick Tidy Towns said on social media, as they appealed to people to stop bringing the bags home.

In an update titled ‘Mystery of The Disappearing Poo Bags’ on Saturday, the group said it took just six weeks for 6,500 bags to vanish from Mutt Mitt dispensers around the town.

The widespread removal would be less frustrating if it resulted in pristine, poo-free streets. However, Tidy Towns volunteers regularly have the disgusting task of cleaning up piles of poo from footpaths.

The thefts are no real mystery. Similar to other towns, stacks of the strong biodegradable bags are removed in Mountmellick for general use at home, by people both with and without canine companions.

Although intended for use only as ‘back-up’ in public areas, many of the bags are removed by people who don’t even have dogs.

Locals report seeing people with no dogs swiping dozens of bags from the dispensers. The two-ply bags cost €25 for 200 when ordered privately from Mutt Mitts Ireland, while one-ply bags are €20 for 200.

The thefts are frustrating for volunteers, who have to refill boxes around the town far more frequently than expected. Tidy Towns members took on the responsibility of refilling the dispensers, when Mutt Mitts disposal bins were first installed in Mountmellick more than five years ago.

The Tidy Towns group said on Saturday: ‘We've asked before and we're asking again to please stop bringing them home with you. These bags are only there as a back-up, should you forget to bring your own bags with you.’ 

One follower commented: ‘That sounds crazy, don’t think dog walkers are that vigilant by the state of the footpaths.’ 

Kitty Creighton of Mountmellick Tidy Towns said: ‘We don’t know exactly who are taking these but have been told people have been seen taking loads and no dogs with them.’ 

Kitty added: ‘It's up to each dog owner to be responsible and buy their own bags. The ones we supply are spare if someone gets stuck.’ 

There were only three Mutt Mitt dispensers in Mountmellick when the scheme was launched in November 2019 and the number has grown to about a dozen since then.