Roche Cleans Up Bray for Spring Clean campaign

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Roche Cleans Up Bray for Spring Clean campaign

Monday, April 2 2007

Wicklow TD and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick Roche TD got his hands dirty today as he launched this year's National Spring Clean campaign and called on the rest of the country to follow his lead and roll up their sleeves. The Minister was speaking as he officially launched the country's largest anti litter initiative with a clean up of the Killarney Road Flyover outside his home town of Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Organised by An Taisce and funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the National Spring Clean campaign aims to make Ireland a cleaner place to live. Last year almost 341,000 people took part in clean up events around the country, with volunteers from every community in Ireland helping to collect approximately 3,400 tonnes of waste.

This year 2,500 clean up events have already been registered and An Taisce expect the number of events held around the country to show a significant increase on the 2006 figures.

The campaign is sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland and the Wrigley Company, while Repak supply colour coded refuse sacks for recycling the materials collected. Last year almost 1,200 tonnes of waste material were collected for recycling during the campaign - a figure that represents 35% of the waste total. The campaign is also supported by all Local Authorities who collect the waste material after the clean up.

Speaking during the clean up event in Bray, Minister Roche said he hoped this year's campaign would break all previous records and urged everyone to take part. 'The key to solving our litter problem is to foster a public attitude that takes pride in a clean environment and looks upon littering as unacceptable behaviour,' he said. ' National Spring Clean encourages people and groups from all walks of life to engage in local clean up actions. I'd encourage everyone to get out
and help in any way they can - without the active involvement of tens of thousands of volunteers who give freely of their time to clean up their local communities, National Spring Clean wouldn't be the great success it is."

All those that register for the National Spring Clean campaign are issued with a FREE clean up kit which contains information, posters, colour coded refuse sacks for different types of waste materials, protective gloves and tabards to keep participants clean. An Taisce will also liaise with local authorities to ensure that all materials collected will be picked up without charge.

"National Spring Clean is good for communities and good for the environment," said Patricia Oliver, Chairperson of National Spring Clean at the launch event. "It helps make our homes and the areas surrounding them more presentable and also fosters a real community spirit right around the country.

"The success of the campaign is in its simplicity. Everyone wants their home town, village, parish or community to look tidy and litter free and by bringing people together An Taisce's National Spring Clean has helped to achieve this goal in every corner of the Country. Every year we hear stories of how local people have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from their friends and neighbours when they have looked for participants for their clean up event. All it takes is
someone to register a clean up event for their area and get the ball rolling," Ms. Oliver added.

"Anyone can take part, from school children to large companies and from resident groups or sports clubs to Government Ministers. We have already written to all TDs and Senators urging them to participate in this year's campaign and I will be asking the Minister to encourage his Cabinet colleagues to participate also.

"Obviously the politicians will have their hands full during April but we hope they will be able to spare a couple of hours to help out a National Spring Clean event in their area this year," she concluded.

To register for National Spring Clean 2007 contact the National Spring Clean Hotline on 01 4002219 or log on to the website at http;//www.nationalspringclean.org

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