Public Participation: Identification of Bathing Waters

Local authorities must identify official bathing areas in their area every year so that they can be monitored for safety, water quality and their level of use.  To help with this process, Monaghan County Council are asking people who swim at beaches, lakes and rivers to tell them if they think they should maintain existing designated bathing waters designations or give a new official bathing area designation to areas that are commonly used for swimming, but not identified at the moment.

Under European and Irish law, Irish local authorities must identify bathing waters each year so that these areas can be monitored to ensure they meet stringent microbiological water quality standards. In some cases, the official bathing areas are also the areas where local authorities focus their resources providing lifeguards during the summer season.  These laws also require that the local authority prepares detailed descriptions or profiles for each of the identified bathing water sites that describe not just the bathing area but also areas in the surface waters catchment area that could be a source of pollution. The profiles include an assessment the risk of pollution and what action would be taken if pollution occurs.

If you are a regular swimmer and want to help your Council decide which bathing areas should be classified as such, it might be helpful to consider the following:

• How your swimming area has been used up to now;
• How many people use the site;
• What facilities exist at the site and how accessible it is;
• Any safety issues.

If you have a submission to make on the identification of bathing waters you can do so by clicking on the link below:

https://documents.monaghancoco.ie/Forms/PPIBW2021

Closing date for submissions Monaghan County Council is 17th June 2021.

Monaghan County Council

Environmental Services Funding Scheme 2021

Monaghan County Council is committed to supporting local communities to promote, enhance and develop their local area. This commitment is supported by the annual Environmental Funding Scheme.

We are now inviting applications for the 2021 funding scheme.

Please note this funding is only for Environmental related projects.

Funding is available for the following only:

• Environmental Supports.

Guidelines on criteria and application forms for the Environmental Services Funding Scheme 2021 can be requested:

• By downloading the forms

Environment Fund Application Form 2021 (MS Word)

Environment Grant Scheme Guidelines 2021 (MS Word)

Supplier Set Up 2021 (MS Word)

• By email to environmentfund@monaghancoco.ie
• By contacting Environmental Services on 042 – 9661240

Additional Information

• For information on specific projects and eligibility please contact Sharon Finnegan, Environmental Awareness Officer – 042 9661240 or environmentfund@monaghancoco.ie

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS FRIDAY 11^th JUNE 2021.

LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

“Your Country Your Waste”

National communication campaign recently launched by Government of Ireland, My Waste and Local Authorities, calls on all citizens to get involved in the fight against illegal dumping and fly tipping in Ireland.  A tailored suite of information and awareness messaging for promotional use by your community, school or voluntary group, may be accessed by visiting www.mywaste.ie.

It’s Not In our Nature – Is it in Yours? Let’s tackle illegal dumping!

To continue to tackle illegal dumping, an integrated campaign ‘It’s not in our nature, is it in Yours? using social media, local radio and press was delivered in 9 counties in the Connacht Ulster Waste Region over the summer.  This campaign supported the ongoing efforts of Local Authorities in cleaning up illegally dumped waste material.  The campaign is being coordinated by the Connacht Ulster Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority (CU WERLA).

To date, numerous clean ups have taken place and speaking on behalf of the Connacht Ulster Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority, Sean Scott, Regional Co-Ordinator said, ‘Our overall aim is to eliminate unsightly illegal dumps and further protect our environment both in rural and urban settings as well as engaging with the public to ensure that areas remain clean once clean-ups have taken place’. ‘Significant costs are associated with cleaning up illegally dumped waste and there is an onus on all citizens to dispose of waste in the correct manner.  Going forward, it is hoped that the use of technology including drones as well as overt and covert surveillance equipment will become more effective and act as a deterrent’ said Mr. Scott.

Mr Scott also pointed out that Byelaws are being introduced in every Local Authority across the region in relation to the regulation storage, presentation and collection of household waste.   The bye-laws govern a range of issues, including obliging consumers to participate in an authorised waste collection service (or provide documentary proof on what alternative means they use to dispose of their waste) and encouraging greater segregation of waste to reduce volumes of residual waste collected.

The Connacht Ulster Waste Region campaign It’s Not in Our Nature – Is it in Yours? – creating awareness of the issues of illegal dumping is coordinated by the Connacht Ulster Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority.  It is supported by the Connacht Ulster Waste Region and funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.   A dedicated website called mywaste.ie is available to assist householders with the management of waste, for example providing details on what can and cannot be recycled, recycling, bring bank locations, civic amenity site locations etc.

For further information please contact:

litter@monaghancoco.ie or check out mywaste.ie 

Gum Litter Taskforce Launch 2019

On Friday 28^th June 2019 in Monaghan Town, Leas Cathaoirleach of Monaghan County Council Seamus Treanor officially launched the Gum Litter Taskforce’s gum litter education campaign. The Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) has been successful to date in changing the public’s behaviour by encouraging correct gum disposal through a targeted education and awareness campaign. The 2018 campaign maintained an all-time high of 93% of people stating that they regard chewing gum as litter, up from 74% when the campaign first began in 2007.  This points to the attitudinal impact which the campaign has had to date.

Speaking at the launch, Leas Cathaoirleach Seamus Treanor said; “The Gum Litter Taskforce’s gum litter education campaign is a fantastic initiative which harnesses community spirit and channels it towards achieving a common goal, that of ridding our streets of littered gum. I am delighted to see local communities from right across the county coming together again this year under the GLT banner in an effort to make a positive change within their respective localities. The GLT campaign has made some very positive inroads to date on this issue and I hope that the campaign will continue to do so again this year.”