Ladies’ shoes found in Laois litter bin 

THE owner of SOLAS Eco Garden Centre and active member of Portarlington Tidy Towns, David Maher, carries out a monthly litter count around a 5km radius of his company on rural roads.

His latest litter count in October found that two out of every three items that were found related to items that could have been recycled through the new national Re-Turn scheme.

Mr Maher said: “I have been actively involved in Tidy Towns for over 20 years. I had hoped that the introduction of the Re-Turn campaign would eliminate the illegal dumping of bottles and cans but unfortunately the problem persists.

He said that during his latest litter pick he found 17 drink cans, 11 plastic bottles and the same number of disposable coffee cups. The most unusual items were a can of Pledge cleaning spray that was not quite empty and two pairs of ladies’ shoes, sizes 5 and 6.

Mr Maher said: “Overall, I do think the level of illegal dumping is declining and Re-Turn is having some positive effect, as the number of cans and bottles found is definitely down. Coffee cups remain a major issue but the catering sector have been doing some good work in this area. In SOLAS we give double points to any customer who brings their own cup, but a levy should be implemented to discourage our throw away culture.”