Illegal dumping has forced Galway County Council to remove bottle-recycling banks from Athenry, one of its most scenic heritage towns.
The move follows the dumping of bags and boxes of household rubbish at the recycling spots beside the railway and local development offices in the town.
The situation was yesterday described as "scandalous" by Rehab, which operates the bring-bank facilities.
A spokesman for the county council admitted that the site was being continually abused and that, despite intense monitoring of the area, the problem persisted. The Athenry facility was one of the main recycling locations in the county.
Last year residents recycled nearly 40 tonnes of glass through the bottle banks, which amounts to 120,000 bottles.
Mr Richard Jordan of Rehab said illegal dumping was a big problem at some of the bottle banks but the Athenry facility was the first in his area, covering Mayo to Kerry, that had to be removed completely.
"Genuine recyclers can't use the area because of the dumping, and we can't remove the rubbish. It's difficult for the council to keep monitoring the site, and it's pretty drastic when we get a call to come and take the banks away," he said.
Galway County Council is confident that the removal of the bottle banks will be a temporary measure.
"We are actively seeking an alternative site to locate the recycling facility in Athenry and we are hopeful that this can be found in the near future," said a spokeswoman.
