A Dublin City Councillor is calling for the return of free skips to reduce bonfire material this Halloween.
Ballyfermot-Drimnagh Councillor Daithi Doolan warned that stockpiling of bonfire materials is on the rise, and that bonfires pose a danger to children and public green spaces. He told Dublin Live: "A few years ago we decided to put free skips into areas like Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard and Drimnagh to reduce the stockpiling of bonfire materials.
"The skips were a huge success, I saw the success firsthand in Ballyfermot and in Cherry Orchard. But we were told this year by Dublin City Council that they had decided to suspend and reverse the skip service."
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At the area committee meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Doolan is submitting a motion requesting Dublin City Council to reverse their decision on suspending the free skip service. He said: "The free skip service is cost effective, it's a mature response to reducing the harm caused to our environment, our green spaces, the football pitches would get burned down."
Cllr Doolan said: "Dublin City Council are attempting to withdraw the annual skip service this Halloween across Dublin South Central. This service has proved invaluable in recent years. It was put in place as a response to people leaving tables, chairs and other bonfire material out on roads.
"The skips have greatly reduced bonfires in our parks in Ballyfermot, Drimnagh and Crumlin. The withdrawal of this service is a hugely regressive step. This decision is shortsighted and only exposes communities to further anti social behaviour.
Cllr Doolan added: "I hope common sense prevails and city council continue this essential service over Halloween. I have a motion down for debate at tomorrow's Area Committee meeting demanding this service is continued this Halloween."
Anyone who sees a bonfire stockpile is being urged to contact Gardai or the Council who will then safely remove the dangerous material. It comes as Dublin Fire Brigade that its firefighters were already encountering rubbish that had been put aside for Halloween on October 31.
It said in a tweet: "This is the time of year that Halloween bonfire material (Yes, the 'H' word!) will start to be gathered by groups and stashed until October. Please dispose of waste responsibly."
Last year, Dublin Fire Brigade reported 186 fire calls from midnight on October 31 to midnight on November 1, with 133 of them Halloween related. This compared to 415 fire calls for Halloween in 2020, of which 323 were Halloween related.
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