Sir, – My wife and I live in Co Galway. We used to enjoy country drives throughout all parts of Connacht, a pristine landscape!
Progressively, our enjoyment has been eroded by the ever-increasing amount of roadside litter.
The Tidy Towns does a great job, but once you have left its environs, it’s open season!
We would frequently visit the beautiful heritage village of Cong. Here the Tollman family has made a huge investment in buying and refurbishing Ashford Castle and grounds, attracting visitors from all parts of the world. Driving out to Cong, we would normally approach from the Headford side, but on this occasion, we approached from the west, through Maam. We were appalled at the amount of roadside litter, coffee cups, plastic bottles, drink cans, plastic sheeting etc. On visiting our favourite coffee shop, I mentioned the litter to the owner. He told me of a visiting French shooting party who, when they ranged behind the roadside hedges, encountered rubbish, which had been tipped, in places, for up to a hundred metres. This they said, was not as it used to be and they said it is unlikely they would come again.
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The primary problem with litter is, that when one person throws an item out of a car, it is easy for the next person and easier still for the next, until it becomes the accepted practice.
Next year Galway is due to be the European Capital of Culture, but the rubbish starts at the Maldron Hotel roundabout and continues west!
Who is collecting the litter, as it seldom appears to be cleared? – Yours, etc,
BRIAN ROWAN,
Oranmore, Co Galway.