Sir, – Dublin City Council (DCC) is removing public litter bins and not replacing them. If logic underpins this policy, it must be that having fewer bins equals a lower cost involved in emptying them.
A case in point is the permanent removal of a public bin at the corner of Kincora Court and Conquer Hill Road in Clontarf over three months ago. Despite representations to local councillors of all persuasions, the bin has never been replaced. The bin outside Belgrove National School was also removed. I frequently walk 20 minutes carrying a bag of dog poo in St Anne's Park to make use of the pitiful number of bins supplied in this 240-acre public amenity.
This morning I was gobsmacked and furious to see that DCC has the money and the gall to send out workers to put up signs urging us to “bin the poo”. Where? The environmental health officer in the waste management section who sent them out is clearly a person with no sense of irony.
With all the hoo-hah about Dublin losing €50 million through the Garth Brooks debacle, I would have thought that DCC might have the brains to understand that the most important element in attracting tourists is having clean streets. Research has also shown a link between dirty neighbourhoods and violence. This is yet another example of the famous Irish "lack of foresight" saga. – Yours, etc,
MARESE HICKEY,
Kincora Court,
Dublin 3