No resources for temporary Halloween bring centre in this Kildare municipal district

Kildare County Council does not have the resources to provide temporary bring centres in the Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District in the run-up to Halloween, the local authority has stated.

The council was responding to a motion tabled by Cllr Paul Brooks at a Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District meeting, held on Friday, October 24 last.

Cllr Brooks called on the council, in the run-up to Halloween, to consider providing some temporary bring centres at a number of locations across the municipal district “with a view to minimising the number of large household items being placed on illegal bonfires.”

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Brooks said the reasoning behind his motion was that he is involved in a GAA club in Leixlip, and every year around Halloween large household items end up being littered on the pitches and being burned.

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The problem also occurs in estates around the municipal district, he said, and he would like to minimise the occurrences in any way he could.

A report issued by the council stated: “The council does not have the resources to provide temporary bring centres in the Celbridge-Leixlip Municipal District area for large household items. Such items may be responsibly disposed of at the councils, two civic amenity sites, Silliot Hill, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. Monday to Sunday, and Gallows Hill which is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3.45 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.”

The council added that it is “illegal to dump or burn waste/rubbish of any description (including for a bonfire)”, and that every individual has a responsibility to dispose of his/her waste correctly and legally.

The local authority further pointed out that providing household waste materials for burning in a Halloween bonfire is committing a criminal offence.

Cllr Brooks said he was “a little bit disappointed” with the council's response to his motion, particularly in the area of resources.

He realised the council was “under pressure”, he said, and he was aware of the work carried out by the council around Halloween time, but what he was asking for was a couple of skips in a couple of locations to give people the opportunity to dump their rubbish.

He realised, he said, that with just a week to go to Halloween that “this isn't going to happen at this stage”, but would suggest something was implemented for subsequent years in the run-up to Halloween.

Cllr Nuala Killeen (SD) told the council that the municipal district needs its own bring centre, and that it was “ridiculous”, with a population of 60,000 people, that it did not have one.

Cllr Brooks suggested that perhaps monies from Local Property Tax could be allocated towards implementing temporary bring centres around Halloween time in subsequent years.