The Environment Section is responsible for a wide range of services spanning three programme groups as outlined below.

Objectives in the Council’s Corporate Plan include the protection and improvement of water and air quality in Sligo, and to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The focus in 2006 will be to introduce and implement measures to achieve these corporate objectives. Programme Group 5: Environmental Protection

Programme Group 7: Agriculture and Education

Programme Group 8: Miscellaneous

In November 2005, the draft Connaught Waste Management Plan was published and put on public display. This plan re-emphasises the targets to be achieved by 2013 in order to comply with National and EU targets, namely: Recycle 48%, Thermally Treat 33% and Landfill 19%. Although Sligo’s recycling rate for household waste has increased from 4% in 2001 to 18% in 2005, further progress is necessary in this area in order to achieve the required targets. As well as household waste, 2005 saw a particular focus on commercial waste and construction and demolition (C&D) waste. These areas were tackled through the provision of infrastructure, environmental awareness and enforcement measures.

Dry recyclable wastes are catered for at the two recycling centres in Sligo – Tubbercurry, which opened in 2005 and Greenstar (formerly WDS), based at Finisklin in Sligo town. The range of materials accepted at the Recycling Centre in Tubbercurry caters for as large a range of recyclable materials as possible. Small commercial operators are also encouraged to use the site. A separate kerbside collection of dry recyclable materials is available in Sligo town and a large part of the County. It is hoped that early 2006 will see the extension of the dry recyclable collection throughout County Sligo.

Sligo continues to enjoy a high glass-recycling rate with almost 1,100 tonnes of glass recycled in 2005. This equates to the recycling of approximately 3.7 million glass bottles. This glass is recycled via a network of bottle banks in Sligo town and almost all villages in the County. The upgrade of these banks continued to be a priority in 2005. Creating a positive image at all bring bank sites is imperative in encouraging their use but this is proving difficult at some sites due to incidences of illegal dumping. The purchase of mobile surveillance cameras is now being actively pursued for use at these sites with a view to taking legal action against offenders.

Although there are over 20 permitted sites in the County for the recovery of Construction & Demolition (C&D) material, there is no site in operation for the actual recycling of this material. With the current rate of development in Sligo, the need for a C&D recycling facility in the Sligo area is urgent. As well as being the best option environmentally, a C&D recycling facility should reduce the waste management costs for the construction industry.

Organic kitchen waste makes up approximately 30% of all household waste generated. Home composting is a positive and simple option to deal with this waste. In 2005, the Environment Section continued to promote the use of home composters and offer them for sale at a subsidised rate. In urban areas that are not suitable for home composting, the ultimate solution is to introduce a third bin for the collection of separated kitchen waste only. In order to do this, a composting or biological treatment facility should be put in place to process this waste.

Green garden waste is a bulky waste fraction that should be diverted from landfill. In 2005 Sligo County Council secured the necessary statutory permissions for a green waste composting facility at Ballisodare, Co Sligo. The provision of this facility shall be advanced with a view to having the facility operational in autumn 2006.

Landfill is the least preferred option in dealing with waste, and is at the bottom of the EU waste hierarchy.

However, landfill is required to deal with the waste that cannot be recycled, composted or thermally treated, which is estimated to be 19% of all waste generated in Connaught. A greater percentage of landfill capacity is required until the necessary infrastructure is put in place to recycle, compost and in particular thermally treat waste. During 2005 Sligo County Council, in conjunction with the other Connacht Local Authorities, continued to encourage the development of a North Connaught Landfill to deal with this interim waste, and to ultimately deal with the 19% of residual waste by 2013.

It has been widely proven in Europe that education and awareness in waste management best practice is a continuous process. Sligo County Council continued its programmes in this area, which has received significant results to date. Emphasis was placed on waste prevention and minimisation campaigns, along with campaigns to encourage source separation of waste. Encouraging greater use of the two Recycling Centres, Bring Banks, the separate kerbside collection of dry recyclable wastes and the use of home composting was a priority in 2005. Focus was also placed on promoting the WEEE Directive, which came into force on 13th August 2005, and allows householders to bring all waste electrical and electronic goods to the Recycling Centres free of charge.

The Environmental Awareness Officer organised a number of initiatives with community groups and organisations but one of the most successful in 2005 was the Green Schools Campaign. Approximately 100 school visits took place in 2005 focusing on dealing with good waste management practices, the problem of littering along with water and energy conservation themes. The visits are designed to enable schools to link into local waste management services, to inform students of the difficulties with landfilling and of the need to adopt a more sustainable approach to waste. The second primary objective of visits is to equip students with information that will help affect the waste habits of their families. The litter section of the visits includes a presentation on the litter laws, project work (litter pledges, litter audits, school litter patrols, creative activities such as poem writing, poster making) interclass competitions, the litter free challenge etc.

During 2005, over 40 schools were involved in the Green Schools Programme. To date Sligo has 18 green flags with another 24 schools currently registered with An Taisce.

Other initiatives which continued in 2005 included: Green Christmas Campaign, anti-litter awareness competitions for community groups and schools and the Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund which helps fund a variety of community based projects on the theme of waste awareness and reduction. The month of April was dedicated to promoting the National Anti-litter Campaign – National Spring Clean in which over 120 groups took part. Tidy Towns Committees shall continue to receive support through the provision of bags, litter pickers and gloves.

The Environmental Awareness Officer uses the local media in the form of radio and newspaper advertisements, press releases, interviews and the Council’s website, to promote the campaigns as they arise in all areas of the environment including water quality and pollution control.

Since the Waste Management Act came into being in 1996, a large number of Waste Regulations have followed, covering a wide range of waste management activities. The priorities for Sligo County Council are to ensure that waste is collected by a collector holding a valid waste collection permit for the type of waste they are collecting, and that all waste is transported to an appropriately licensed or permitted facility. There are 152 waste collectors permitted to collect wastes in Sligo ranging from household recyclables to industrial hazardous wastes, and 28 permitted sites, mostly for the recovery of C&D material. During 2005 the Waste Enforcement Officer carried out regular inspections of these facilities and activities as well as any unauthorised facilities or activities that came to the attention of the council. Waste enforcement was a priority in 2005 and this was reflected in the achievements made in the area of illegal waste activity. Approximately 300 inspections were made and over 30 legal notices were served for unauthorised activities.

Other target areas in the waste enforcement area included the illegal burning of waste, the farm plastics levy, and the Packaging Regulations. A particular focus will be placed on the Packaging Regulations in 2006, which require all producers of packaging, from corner shops and pubs to major supermarkets and retail outlets to separate the packaging waste produced on the premises and make it available for separate collection by a recovery operator. The Enforcement team along with the Awareness Officer will work closely with the commercial sector to implement these regulations thus diverting further recyclable waste from landfill.

In 2005, Sligo County Council adopted Waste Presentation By-Laws which will come into effect on January 01 2006. The purpose of these by-laws is to ensure that waste is presented for collection by the householder where a collection service is available, and to ensure that all waste that is presented for collection is segregated appropriately and does not cause an environmental nuisance. The enforcement of these by-laws in 2006 should reduce the incidences of illegal dumping and burning of waste and also eliminate litter generated by waste presented for collection.

The issue of litter continues to be a major challenge. In 2005 activity was increased and particular emphasis was put on the issue of illegal roadside signage, which not only detracts from the amenity of an area, but also poses a risk to road users. The Environment Strategic Policy Committee commenced work on the development of a signage policy, which will outline the dos and don ts for temporary roadside signage under the Litter Pollution Act 1997-2003. The relevant Roads & Planning legislation will also be included in this policy, which, will be adopted by the full Council in 2006.

161 on-the-spot fines were issued for offences ranging from sweet wrappers and illegal signage to 2 or less bags of refuse illegally dumped on public property. Larger quantities of refuse dumped are dealt with under litter & waste management legislation. Non payment of fines result in legal action being taken by the Council and by the end of 2005 the Council had secured 8 prosecutions (7 District & 1 Circuit Court sitting) with court fines ranging from €50 to €1,900. It is expected that any outstanding cases for 2005 will be prosecuted in early 2006. In addition to this, two Section 9 notices were sent to private property owners directing them to clear their lands of litter (where it is visible from a public place). This is a very powerful tool in the fight against litter, and it is envisioned that it will be used more frequently in future. A zero tolerance approach is being taken to littering at bring bank sites.

Under section 6 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, occupiers of premises fronting onto the footway within the town limits are obliged to keep the area in front of their premises free of litter. Not to do so is an offence and can attract an on-the-spot fine of €125. Operation Clean Sweep involves a partnership approach between Sligo County Council’s Environmental Awareness Officer, Litter Warden and the business community. The Council has introduced Operation Clean Sweep to the towns of Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Enniscrone and will continue to introduce it into other towns and villages throughout 2006.

2005 saw the introduction of an inter town/village Litter League. A large number of participants entered this knockout competition which was judged by Sligo County Council staff based on the amount of litter observed on inspection day. The competition proved very successful and the judges were very impressed with the high standard of cleanliness in most of the towns/villages.

In 2005 a review of the Litter Management Plan took place in conjunction with Sligo Borough Council. This Plan is prepared pursuant to Section 10 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997-2003 and it aims to identify and quantify the litter problem, establish Council and Community responsibility and develop ways of tackling and eliminating the problem. It is hoped that the Draft Litter Management Plan will be put before the full Council in early 2006 for adoption.

Finally, the Environmental Awareness Officer continued to highlight the problem of litter through various programs of work and methods of advertising including competitions, newspaper and radio advertisements, posters, displays, signage and the publication of leaflets. Through the Green School’s programme a huge amount of awareness activity took place with litter competitions, discussions and debate.

In 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the document Water Quality in Ireland 2001 – 2003 , which reviews the water quality in Ireland for that period and includes rivers, lakes, estuarine, coastal and groundwaters. The report is based on monitoring carried out by both the EPA and Local Authorities. Results of Sligo County Councils extensive annual monitoring programme are forwarded to the EPA for use in this review.

This latest water quality report confirms that Sligo’s water quality remains above the national average with 95% of Sligo’s river channel length categorised as unpolluted. However 5% of Sligo’s river channel length remains polluted ranging from slightly polluted to seriously polluted.

All 13 of the Sligo lakes, including water abstraction lakes, monitored over the reporting period, have satisfactory water quality. However, some downward trends have been observed. The water quality in Lough Talt, a major water abstraction lake, has deteriorated slightly over the reporting period, thus requiring close monitoring and control by our staff. Heavy shoreline algae observed on Lough Arrow indicates over enrichment by phosphorus. This highlights the need to reduce phosphorous inputs to this important brown trout fishery lake. Zebra mussels have been identified in both Lough Arrow and Lough Gill. Zebra mussels, although not of a health significance, are expected to have an influence on the long-term quality of these lakes. A campaign is underway which aims to reduce the risk of the spread of Zebra mussels to unaffected waters. The campaign called Western Zebra Mussel Control Initiative hopes to achieve this through extensive media and awareness campaigns, which began in 2005 and will continue in 2006.

The challenge for Sligo County Council and all stakeholders in Sligo’s waters is to continue to improve the quality of unsatisfactory waters and maintain the quality of satisfactory waters throughout the County. Sligo County Council carry out a range of measures to achieve this including enforcement measures under the Water Pollution Acts, and developing best practice guidance documents for sectors that impact on water quality. All industrial discharges to waters require a licence from the Local Authority. Extensive water quality monitoring and catchment survey work was carried out in 2005.

Western River Basin Management Project The approach to water quality monitoring and management over the coming years will be influenced greatly by the EU Water Framework Directive which rationalises and updates existing water legislations and provides for water management on the basis of River Basin districts. Most of County Sligo is contained within the Western River Basin District, along with most of counties Mayo and Galway, and parts of Leitrim, Roscommon and Clare. During 2005 Sligo County Council has been actively engaged with the other Local Authorities in the development of this project, and in gathering all the required background information.

The overall objective of river basin projects is to establish an integrated monitoring and management system for all waters within a River Basin District, to develop a dynamic programme of management measures and to produce a River Basin Management Plan, which will be continuously updated.

The main responsibility for the implementation of this Directive lies with the EPA and Local Authorities, to be supported by a number of other public bodies. In 2005, a characterisation report was prepared by consultants on behalf of the Local Authorities, with input at all stages from Local Authority staff. This involved gathering all existing data on all waters within the Western River Basin District and characterising each water body into one of four risk categories: at risk; probably at risk; probably not at risk; not at risk. Over the next few years, a comprehensive monitoring programme will be put in place to determine the definite risk category of the two current probably categories. Sligo County Councils current water monitoring programme may be tailored to meet some of the requirements of the Western River Basin District’s monitoring programme, but this shall be determined in 2006.

Sligo continues to enjoy a very high standard of drinking water throughout the County. Sligo County Councils laboratory staff carry out testing of all public supplies on a regular basis in accordance with the EC (Drinking Water) Regulations, 2000. These regulations came into effect on 01 January 2004 and to quote the EPA: “This set of drinking water regulations is radically different from its predecessor and will entail very significant changes in virtually all aspects of implementation, including sample number, parameters, parameter classes, extent of coverage, and so on.” Laboratory staff have embraced these new regulations and have implemented new procedures to deal with the significant changes. During 2005 the full program of monitoring required for the County under the regulations, was carried out by our staff. Most of the analysis was carried out in the Council’s well equipped environmental science laboratory.

Sligo County Council’s laboratory staff also monitored the effluent discharges from all the Local Authority’s Waste Water Treatment Plants in accordance with the 1994 Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations, as well as all discharges from licensed premises in accordance with the conditions of the discharge licence issued.

In 2005 Sligo was again awarded 3 Blue Flags for Rosses Point, Mullaghmore and Enniscrone. The EPA carry out regular monitoring of these bathing waters during the summer season on behalf of Sligo County Council, in accordance with the blue flag criteria and the Bathing Water Regulations. The required water quality testing programmes were carried out in full in 2005, and the water quality met the blue flag criteria at all three beaches. Sligo County Council are optimistic of retaining all three Blue Flags in 2006. To receive a Blue Flag, a bathing site, in addition to maintaining a high standard of water quality, must meet specified objectives with regard to the provision of safety services and facilities, environmental management of the beach area and environmental education.

During June, July and August 2005, Sligo County Council provided a beach-guard service on five beaches in the County. The beach-guards worked on a full-time basis at Enniscrone, Mullaghmore and Rosses Point beaches and weekends only on Dunmoran and Streedagh beaches. A beach-warden service for Strandhill is also operated under this budget throughout the summer months. Pending the provision of additional resources, Sligo County Council intend to provide full-time beach guards at all 5 beaches in 2006, as well as full-time wardens at Strandhill for the summer season.

Sligo enjoys excellent air quality and is fortunate in not having heavy industry discharging to the atmosphere. The Environment Section continue to enforce legislation in relation to backyard burning of waste, and the use of smokeless fuels in Sligo City.

The Council, under a service contract with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, supervises the operation of meat plants in the County. There are currently three abattoirs in operation, and these require pre- and post- slaughter checks on all animals along with continuous monitoring of hygiene and welfare standards and BSE controls. In preparation for the upcoming changes in Food Safety rules, two of these premises have undertaken training in HACCP which is a food safety management system and have introduced HACCP plans in their premises. The third abattoir is currently reviewing its future plans. Of the two Small Meat Manufacturing Plants, one is registered and the second is in the process of being registered.

The inspection of liquid milk producers has continued throughout the year. All producers have been visited during 2005. The number of producers is falling as the sector is currently undergoing a period of consolidation.

The Control of Dogs Act, The Control of Horses Act and the Sheep Scab orders (Diseases of Animals Act) are the main pieces of welfare legislation for which the Council has responsibility.

Following a review in 2004 the Dog Warden Service is now being operated by the warden under contract to Sligo County Council. This arrangement has resulted in savings to the Council and will be reviewed each year. The benefits of a full time warden can be seen in an increase of 24% in the number of licences taken out in 2004 and again in 2005. There has also been an increased level of enforcement in problem areas which has lead to a reduction in complaints. Following discussions with the Housing Sections in the Borough and County during the year, changes have been made to the Tenancy agreement which limit the number and type of dogs which can be kept in new tenancies in Local Authority houses. This is to counteract an increase in the number of pit bulls and other unsuitable and potentially dangerous breeds which have become more common in recent years.

The issue of stray horses continues to be monitored. The introduction of new Bye-Laws in 2004 has given the Council increased powers to deal with the problem and while no seizures were made in 2005 the option is available if necessary.

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