It has been confirmed this week that upwards of €30,000 will be allocated to the installation of new solar powered compactor bins in Galway city this year.
The announcement was made by Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Crowe, who has over the last year urged Galway City Council to increase the number of bins around the city. He raised the issue of the provision of litter bins at May’s Council meeting.
Cllr Crowe raised the issue at a council meeting in May of last year, requesting the environment section of the council to compile a comprehensive and accurate report outlining the costs involved and the implications of doubling the number of bins in the city. Having received unanimous support from everyone on the council, the funding has now been allocated for these new bins.
“We spend approximately two million yearly on street cleaning and yet the reality is that we have nowhere near enough bins on the streets of Galway. It is an oxymoron,” said Cllr Crowe. “It seems pointless to me that we wonder why certain areas are not clean and also why we are not scoring higher when various national litter surveys are carried out. Furthermore, Galway slipped down a bit in the BAL National Litter Survey which was announced on Monday which also confirms my concerns.”
The new bins are solar powered, specially designed to be self sufficient so that each bin can compact the waste within, therefore increasing the amount of waste that the bin can take as opposed to traditional bins. These self-compacting bins will also rule out the need for regular maintenance and will greatly reduce the frequency of emptying each bin.
