Donegal’s mobile litter units will be working around the clock this weekend again collecting bags of rubbish gathered by volunteers in their effort to have their towns and villages looking spick and span for the summer season.
“These months are very busy for us,” says Noel O’Donnell driver of one of the Council’s three mobile litter units. “But I don’t mind at all, it’s great to be working with volunteers who are doing such marvelous work.”
Noel who mostly covers the Letterkenny and Inishowen Municipal District areas will be out on the road from early to late this Saturday and Sunday.
“We have built up a good relationship with individuals and local groups especially over the last 5 years or so and now it is just a matter of them giving us a call and letting us know when they are planning on doing their clean-ups. We have a good system in place.”
Last weekend alone Noel collected over 60 bags of rubbish from clean-ups in the Rathdonnell Trentagh and Kilmacrennan areas and said “groups put a lot of work into collecting and bagging all this rubbish and we are more than happy to support them in any way we can. We could not do our job without their support.”
More community clean-ups are planned for this weekend including a clean-up at Lough Eske on Saturday starting at 2pm and volunteers are asked to meet at the Famine Pot carpark. In Carrigart the clean-up will be staring at 11am and organisers are asking people to give just one hour of their time to help out in this worthwhile community effort. Alongside this a Waste Awareness event will be taking place in Centra in Carrigart from 11 to 1.
Other clean-ups are planned on Saturday in Fahan, Moville and Greencastle and in Ballaghaderg, Glenvar, Calhame & Burhill and the Woodlands & Castleshanaghan areas of Letterkenny.
On Tuesday morning last Letterkenny Tidy Towns committee launched their 32nd Cleaner Community Campaign and resident groups have responded with great interest and plans are well underway for clean-ups in various estates around the town.
On Sunday the people of Dunfanaghy will be continuing their clean-up efforts from 2 to 5pm and volunteers are being asked to meet at the Ozanam carpark. A clean-up is also planned at Ballyliffin beach on Sunday.
Motorists are being asked to drive with extra care when they come across a clean-up in progress.
Anyone interested in organising a community clean-up should contact the Council on 074 91 53900 or apply online at www.donegalcoco.ie . The Council will provide bags, gloves, litter pickers and can arrange for the collection of the rubbish once it has been bagged.
You can also register with An Taisce’s National Spring Clean campaign by calling (01) 400 2219 or at www.nationalspringclean.org .