Laois County Council is struggling to source a suitable location for a bottle bank facility in Mountrath, having faced opposition to several locations proposed.

Independent Mountrath Cllr James Kelly has fought for the reinstation of a bottle bank in the town, with the previous bottle bank removed in February of 2024.

Following his request for an update on the provision of a bottle bank, with pressure on as the Castletown facility has reached full capacity, the Council's Environment section replied that they are reviewing 'all sites available'.

Pictured: bottle banks provided by Laois County Council in Borris in Ossory

Cllr Kelly thanked the Council for this reply.

"Firstly, I want to commend Lawrence in the environment section, he has been working tirelessly on this, and we just can’t get a site at the moment," Cllr Kelly said.

"We had where the old mart was, but two new tenants have gone in there, and so that has changed. We then spoke about the cemetery, but that’s possibly not going to work either," he said.

"The biggest problem we have is when people use the bottle banks, which we want them to do, what's left behind is cardboard and plastic bags. There's opposition everywhere we go to try and get a location," he said.

"We just need to visit the town again and go through it, the one in Camross is not there either and Castletown is maxed out," Cllr Kelly explained.

"I know the contractors are paying a lot more visits than they had programmed for the year, and it's at an extra cost to the Council as well. It is a tough one, where we can get a location that’s agreeable to all," he admitted.

Pictured: Castletown Community Centre, home to the nearest bottle bank to Mountrath

Cllr Kelly's motion was seconded by Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin.

"In the last five years we have got three bottle banks in this municipal district, we have Camross, Mountrath and the Pike of Rushall. Castletown and Borris in Ossory are absolutely packed to the brim, no pun intended," Cllr Bergin said.

"Every town and village should have a bottle bank facility, we are of urgent need to recycle our glass and we are trying to discourage illegal dumping, I know you have to be careful of where you place them, and the contract company have certain requirements, which is why some were moved in the past," he said.

"At the end of the day the service should be there, Council provided. There has to be a location found, you can't just take it out of the village and not replace it," Cllr Bergin finished.

Fellow Fine Gael Cllr John King also gave his support to Cllr Kelly.

"There is no bottle bank in Errill either and there was at one stage,  due to the Tidy Towns and places being enhanced," Cllr King said.

"If the location is the problem, can we talk to the schools? They have cameras outside of the schools that could pick up on undesirable dumping," he suggested.

"Location seems to be the major problem, and if they're too far away in a quiet place, people will dump a lot more at the bottle banks, where there are no cameras there. It would be solving one problem and creating another. Could we liaise with the schools?" Cllr King asked.

Ms Angela McEvoy, Director of Services with Laois County Council, replied that they have discussed it with Mountrath's town regeneration officer and are actively looking at the subject in other towns alike.

"We will keep the pressure on, and if there are any sites that people want to bring to our attention, we are open to looking at those," the Director shared.

"As Cllr Bergin said, it can be an issue for the company to come in and dispose of the waste, so there is criteria to meet. It's not an easy pick. We are open to looking for one to fit the bill," Ms McEvoy said.

Pictured: File photo

Independent Cllr Ollie Clooney hailed the issue as 'a nationwide problem', and arguing that there needs to be a better incentive.

"Money comes into it as well. Where the bottle banks are in private places, it's hardly worth your while, the money is very small," he said.

"It needs to be looked at, without the bottle banks there's going to be more illegal dumping, it's as simple as that," he argued.

"They have worked well where they are located, the location is a huge problem. They have to be made more attractive to people to take them, because they are a bit of a nuisance to have them on your premises," he said.

Cllr King highlighted the success of the Re-Turn scheme, and the benefits it has had.

"Since we get a few pence now for taking back your bottles and tins, that is after helping an awful lot. I see in Supervalu in Rathdowney, there's a queue trying to put in the bottles. The refund is doing its share," he said.

Cllr Kelly highlighted the issues residents may face with a bottle bank in the facility.

"Location is important, but it's noise levels as well. Near houses or residents there can be objections because the first lot of bottles going in are fairly noisy, and they're not all put into the green banks at a certain time, it could be late at night as well which can cause a lot of issues," Cllr Kelly finished.

This motion was tabled at an October sitting of Laois County Council's Borris in Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal District.

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