Clothes, bottles, and cabling: what's in the River Suir
The findings from last Saturday’s clean-up were shared by the Refresh Thurles, a part of the Tidy Towns network
Glass bottles, iron bars, metal poles, household plastic, and old clothes were among the rubbish that was pulled from the River Suir by the volunteers of Refresh Thurles.
Sharing the photo online, which represents just a sample of the rubbish pulled out of the water, the group said that they have officially engaged with the council, LAWPRO, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the EPA to push for a “coordinated, ongoing maintenance plan to get our river flowing safely again”.
“To show the true scale of the problem, our volunteers laid out just a fraction of the rubbish we dragged directly out of the River Suir and surrounding area.
“Loads of alcohol glass bottles were trapped in the heavy, stagnant weed beds near Barry's Bridge.Heavy rusted iron bars, metal poles, and thick cabling that have no place in a river.
“Waterlogged household plastics, discarded clothes and textiles that rot down and destroy the habitats our local fish need to survive.
“An urban river running through a town simply cannot be left completely unmaintained.
“We have officially shared pictures of the river and engaged this week with Tipperary County Council, LAWPRO, Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the EPA to push for a coordinated, ongoing maintenance plan to get our river flowing safely again.
“A massive thank you to every single volunteer who got their hands dirty to clear this mess. Let’s work together as a community to keep our waste out of the water! “