Fingal County Council declare Halloween Amnesty for combustible material an overwhelming success

As part of its commitment to protecting the environment and its contribution to the Safer Halloween initiative, the local authority’s recycling centres in Swords and Coolmine in Dublin 15 accepted a range of material such as mattresses, sofas and wooden doors on four separate days in the build-up to October 31.

The response was overwhelming from the general public with over 4,000 vehicles passing through the Estuary centre. 86 skips were filled, along with 40 cages of small electrical waste, a huge amount of large electrical items and 35 crates of paint.

In Coolmine, 2,645 vehicles visited which saw 79 skips filled during the four specified days of the Amnesty.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Eoghan O’Brien commended the local authority for the initiative. “The Halloween Amnesty was a massive success and was enthusiastically supported by the general public. Along with the Festival of Fire initiative, Fingal County Council can be proud of the role it played in ensuring a Safer Halloween for everyone.”

Director of Operations David Storey: “This year we made the decision to offer the amnesty to reduce the amount of material which may otherwise be disposed of on bonfires locally with consequent health and safety risks and damage to public open spaces and have are delighted with the overwhelming positive reaction from the public.”

“The initiative involved a considerable financial investment from Fingal County Council as part of its commitment to reducing the environmental impact on green areas and open spaces over the Halloween period. The council will now move to dispose of the waste, which we estimate will cost in the region of €45,000.”