Mattress and old chair dumped on busy road in centre of Tullamore

THE problem of illegal dumping remains unabated with a filthy mattress and chair left lying against a pole on Arden Road this morning Monday, February 13.

According to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, those who are found to be responsible for, or involved in, the unauthorised disposal of waste are liable to a maximum fine of €5,000 on summary conviction and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months, and to a or imprisonment for up to 10 years.

The large number of mattresses being dumped along the roadside and in scenic spots prompted the now Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District, Councillor Neil Feighery to ask if there could be an initiative to help recycle mattresses, at the June 2021 meeting.

The Fine Gael councillor believed the cost of recycling could be preventing people from bringing them to the Derryclure recycling facility, in Tullamore.

''There is indiscriminate dumping in our bogs. One item is mattresses, I notice the fees for mattresses seem considerably high. It may serve as a disincentive. It's €18 euro for a double mattress, €10 for a single. Considering we have huge costs in trying to control this dumping and we have to hire diggers, could we have an incentive maybe or a special event to have them recycled for free?'' he asked.

In response, director of services Tom Shanahan said the reason the mattresses are expensive is they cannot be recycled. He said various technologies had been tried unsuccessfully.

''We could probably look for some scheme under an anti-dumping initiative, we could have a one off event,'' he said. ''It's an ongoing problem. Similarly with couches and bulky furniture, they are probably the most expensive,'' he added.