Sir, - In reply to Damian Nolan (letters, October 25th) litter is not a summertime issue, nor one that will be swept away by the winter winds. I have returned to live in Dublin, having spent the last 15 years abroad, and I am appalled by the state of our streets and countryside. Litter bins appear to be a rare species here and apparently should never be used under any circumstances.
I live a mile from Lucan village, and there are no litter bins on the pavements between it and our estate. I queried this with Dublin County Council, who were unable to be of any assistance on the matter. How can we encourage people to stop littering our streets and countryside, if we do not provide them with the necessary bins for them to dispose of their rubbish?
There are a number of cures open to us on this issue, from education of our children to heavy on the spot fines and greater powers for litter wardens (if they actually exist). It's about time that people here dropped the attitude that "it's not my problem", and set themselves high standards. The tag of the "dirty Irish" can certainly be applied in many areas of this country. After all, it's people who make slums. - Yours, etc.,
Finnstown Abbey,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.