Madam, - With the approach of another summer, Margaret Hough (Letters, March 22nd), Emer Massey (An Irishwoman's Diary, April 4th) Sean Mullan and Matthew Cunningham (Letters, April 11th and 12th) have all rightly drawn attention to our continuing litter problem and its effects on tourism.
Since 2004, the Green Ribbon organisation has been promoting the idea of voluntary litter patrols - groups of people or individuals who take "ownership" of a small area and commit to keeping it free from litter. Green Ribbon patrols can currently be registered in eight counties, at our website www.greenribbon.ie. This facility will be extended to further counties over the coming months.
Green Ribbon also lobbies the Department of the Environment regarding the introduction of value-based rather than penalty-based systems of litter management.
Specifically, we would like to see the introduction of an eco-levy on plastic bottles and aluminium cans, which would be refundable to consumers through reverse vending systems at schools, shopping centres and service stations. Reverse vending is already in operation in several continental EU countries and in the UK.
We have also appealed to the Department to revise the manner in which the Litter Monitoring Survey analyses our litter problem. By analysing litter on a per item basis, the survey currently places undue emphasis on cigarette butt and chewing gum litter, which are exclusively urban problem.
The survey does not in any way seek to differentiate between urban, rural and road litter, though it is rural and road litter which has the greatest impact on our tourism. - Yours, etc,
GARRETH McDAID, Drumleague, Leitrim PO, Co Leitrim.