4.0 Services and Facilities Provided by Kilkenny County Council

Closed8 Mar, 2021, 9:00am - 5 Apr, 2021, 5:00pm

4.1       Street Cleaning Kilkenny City and Environs

An intensive street cleaning schedule exists for Kilkenny City including a 7-day street cleaning service. Street cleaning is undertaken by trained staff using walk-behind sweepers, small road sweepers and a large road sweeper.

Most of the main public spaces and slips / laneways which characterise the central core area are also subject to intensive street washing as and when required including The Parade, Canal Square, St. Canice’s Steps, St. Mary’s Steps, Butter Slip. A chewing gum removal programme is also in place on areas of high footfall.

In the residential areas a large road sweeper is deployed on a rotational basis to assist the individual residents’ associations and groups in keeping their neighbourhoods litter free.  The adopted Street Cleaning budget for the City and its environs in 2020 was €670,000 and the street cleaning schedule is overseen by the Area Engineer.

4.2       Street Cleaning in Municipal District Areas

A street cleaning schedule exists for the municipal district towns covering Castlecomer, Callan, Ferrybank & Thomastown.

Each Municipal District Area Office decides on their local street cleaning schedule and works within the constraints of the annual budget. The collective budget for the street sweeping schedule of the municipal towns (excluding Kilkenny City) in 2020 was €668,927.

4.3       Litter Bins Kilkenny City and Environs

38 strategically located litter bins are serviced on a daily basis in Kilkenny City.   Six solar-powered compactor bins are a recent addition to the city and they accept significantly more litter than standard bins.  These are advantageous as they require less servicing.

4.4       Litter Bins in Municipal District Towns and Villages

Litter bins are serviced in municipal towns and villages by different arrangements depending on their locality.  Some communities manage their own local street bins and recoup the cost via the Councils Anti-Litter Grant Scheme.  Litter bins will be discussed further in Section 6.

4.5       Dog Bag Dispensers

There are approximately 23 dog bag dispensers located around Kilkenny City and approximately 17 in the municipal district towns in the County.  Outside the city, the local tidy Towns groups agree to service the dispensers and take the responsibility in keeping them stocked with bags.  In the City, the local area office services the dispensers.  These are discussed further in Section 6.

4.6       Additional Resources to Eliminate Litter

 

4.6.1   Public Realm Warden

The Parade, Mayor’s Walk, Canal Square and Canal Walk are all under the remit of a dedicated Public Realm Warden, who amongst other duties, keeps these areas litter free.

Electric dream starts on Parade Kilkenny - Kilkenny People

Image; John Byrne Public Realm Warden receiving his electric vehicle

4.6.2   Student Litter Picking Programme

During the busy tourist season third level students are employed and used as an additional resource to keep Kilkenny City litter free. They patrol specific routes in and around the City central core and each are provided with a litter picker, gloves and a bin cart.

4.6.3   Supplementary Litter Control Measures for Festivals and Public Events

Festival and public events held in Kilkenny City can generate increased volumes of litter, for some, the council have a direct involvement in, others which it provides support and logistics.  Events with increased footfalls are matched with additional litter control measures such as litter pickers, street sweepers, increased bin servicing, etc

4.6.4   Litter Control at High Amenity Areas in Kilkenny City

Outside of the central core, dedicated staff also undertake routine litter picking in the linear parks and river-side walks where approximately 10 dog waste bag dispensers and bins are also provided and maintained.

4.6.5   Kilkenny City “Looking Good Philosophy”

To complement litter control measures the City also maintains, paints and cleans signage, bollards and street furniture.  The city gardening department provides and maintains planting and flowers in public realm areas which provides an oasis of vegetation and splashes of colour throughout the city. The City  manages the Streetscape Paint Scheme for the City in addition to making strategic design choices on materials and products to maximise the aesthetical value of roads, footpaths, open spaces and public lighting. The philosophy here is that a city that looks well is in itself a strong litter deterrent.

4.6.6   Targeted Clean Ups of Illegal Dumping Incidences in Kilkenny City & County

In addition to the routine works, there are unfortunately incidents of heavy littering/illegal dumping. Additional targeted clean-ups are undertaken to deal with these in a timely manner within the city and county.

4.6.7   Financial Resources for Communities

Kilkenny County Council supports communities who wish to tackle litter in their community and a number of local communities take on the responsibilities of looking after litter bins in their area where the Council is unable to provide such a service.  Local communities are supported by their local area office and they have opportunities to draw down funds through Council grants such as the Amenity, Anti-Litter Grant and the Community Environment Action Fund.  While the Anti-Litter Grant covers practical expenditure such as litter disposal and recouping costs for dog litter bags, the other grants allow communities to foster an appreciation for their local environment by planting and completing environmental projects that will instil a pride of place.  

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Image; Kilkenny County Council Grant Booklet

4.6.8     Councils Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2020-2025


Kilkenny County Council has more than 2,600 tenancies and has powers to deal with tenants who engage in anti-social behaviour as it can seriously negative impact on the lives of people.  The Council is committed to promoting a safe and secure environment for all residents of its housing estates and its Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2020-2025 covers a wide range of unacceptable activity including the dumping and hoarding of waste. 

A key objective of the strategy is to create sustainable communities with a key focus on developing good estate management practice.  The Tenant Liaison Officers and will work with the Waste Enforcement Section of the Council to ensure its tenants are aware of their waste management responsibilities. 

 

 

 

 


Image; Waste Management “Welcome to Your New Home Card” provided by Housing to New Tenants


4.7       Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre

Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre is located on the outskirts of Kilkenny City offering a wide range of disposal options for residual, recycling and green waste.  They accommodate initiatives such as mattress amnesty days and bulk good collections on behalf of Kilkenny County Council.  It is open 8am-4.30 pm Mon-Friday and 8am-12noon on Saturday.  With over 60,000 customers annually, it is a popular service utilised by residents and small businesses in Kilkenny city and its environs.

4.8       Grannagh Recycling Centre

Grannagh Recycling Centre is supported by Kilkenny County Council to ensure there is a provision of a waste service in south Kilkenny similar to the Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre. It is open Monday 9am – 5pm, Tuesday; Closed, Wednesday 9am – 5pm, Thursday 9am – 6pm Friday 9am – 5pm, Saturday 8am – 3pm. Closed Sundays.  They accept both waste and recycling with a similar pricing structure of Dunmore Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre.

4.9       Bring Centre/Bottle Banks

There are 46 Bring Banks managed by the Council across the city and county. The Environment Department work very closely with our service provider to ensure the bring centres are emptied frequently.  In 2020 with the onset of the Covid pandemic, usage across the network of banks surged by an average of 50% and it was difficult to manage the service as our provider also covers a number of counties which all saw a similar increase in tonnages and usage.  To ensure the bring centres do not detract from the local community, the Council has a maintenance programme in place to power hose the bring centres and collect any loose materials around the banks on a scheduled basis.  Outside this schedule, should illegal dumping be reported at the banks, this is attended to by the enforcement team.

4.10    Participation in National Schemes

Kilkenny County Council works in collaboration with different stakeholders to optimise opportunities for the public to dispose of their waste responsibly.  The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications developed an Anti-Dumping Initiative which is co-ordinated through the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs) and has enabled Kilkenny County Council to hold a series of amnesty days to ensure the public can dispose of bulky items like furniture and mattresses for free or at a discounted rate.  These events will continue provided national funding is made available.

WEEE Ireland continue to provide Saturday collections to collect household electrical items and batteries. Kilkenny Council will continue to liaise with WEEE Ireland to ensure the maximum number of collections occur annually.

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