Calls for all seating areas at Limerick food premises to be open to combat food waste
OWNERS of restaurants, cafes and take-aways which have seating areas should be compelled to keep them open to cut food litter on the street.
That’s the view of Labour councillor Conor Sheehan, who has called on food vendors throughout the city to “step up and take pride in the appearance of their shopfronts.”
With indoor dining not permitted in restaurants during the Covid-19 pandemic, many food outlets switched to take-away service as a way to stay in business during lockdown.
While most have returned to allowing people to sit inside, a small number of traders still operate as take-away only - or only open their seating areas for limited hours.
Councillor Sheehan thinks if all the food vendors in the city fully used their seating areas, it would reduce the amount of litter on the street, something which has grown with Limerick hosting several high-profile events recently.
“There are food vendors out there who do have seating areas. They need to make sure all these seating areas are open in line with the planning permission they have - which is to operate both a sit-down and take-away element to their business. If they have a seating area, they should be required to have that seating area opened,” the councillor said.
His comments come as Limerick City and County Council staff gear up to undertake a campaign with food vendors in the city centre, remind them of their responsibilities under litter and waste legislation, and ask they present their shop fronts in good order.
It's a step welcomed by Helen O'Donnell of Limerick City Tidy Towns.
This voluntary group, which carries regular city centre clean-ups, recognises business owners who go the extra mile to keep their premises in good nick. “We are delighted we have had these GAA fixtures over the last month, but it does create some challenges. We'd be asking retailers to play a part and keep their exteriors clean,” she said.