Sir, - The president of the Irish Hotels Federation has added his voice recently to the concern at the rising amount of litter in Ireland. He rightly suggests that the litter laws be strictly enforced. There is, however, a body of shameless, uncaring people who will always offend if they think they will get away with it.
To combat the problem effectively it must be addressed in a preventive manner also. If the Minister for the Environment would place a tax on plastic supermarket/shopping bags as he promised before the last election and a refundable deposit on drink cans and plastic bottles, a great deal of the problem could be solved.
Constructing proper lay-bys with rubbish bins for truck drivers on our main routes would also help, instead of ad hoc arrangements such as those countenanced by Meath County Council on the N2 north of Ashbourne in the Minister's constituency.
Is anyone interested, or are we content to live in our own filth? - Yours, etc., D. J. Hanley,
Brownstown Park, Navan, Co Meath.