Poop scoop bags dilemma in Trim branded 'farcical'

Cash-strapped Trim Town Council does not have the budget to keep supplying expensive scoop bags for its dog-fouling bins along the popular Porchfields walking route and is seeking a cheaper alternative. At 17.5c a bag, the council says it cannot afford to keep supplying the bags and, while it has sourced cheaper bags, they will not fit into the holders. Now the council may have to consider changing the holders to ones that will take cheaper bags, modify the existing ones or find someone to make a cheaper bag to fit. Cllr Ronan McKenna, at last week's meeting of Trim Town Council, referred to a response he got from the town engineer. "It appears the frames that were purchased allow for one design of scoop bag that is an expensive scoop bag," he said, adding that the engineer was concerned they would run out of supply and that the budget would not allow the purchase of more bags. "The engineer has researched it and the less expensive scoop bags won't fit in the frame. So we have to put in new frames," said Cllr McKenna. He added: "It all sounds very 'Yes Minister' and farcical." He went on: "We think more of keeping our town clean than just to say it is the responsibility of the dog-owner. We have an obligation to keep stands supplied and keep encouraging people to use them. The engineer says there is a budgetary difficulty and I would be delighted to know how to solve it." Town engineer Vincent Collins said there isn't a town council budget for this and he has been told that Meath County Council's doesn't intend to supply the bags, either. He said they would manage to keep the bags supplied until the budget and they would make a decision then. Cllr McKenna said: "We want to make sure that while we have stock, they will be maintained on a weekly basis and thereafter a decision can be made." Mr Collins it said it depended on how many dog-owners use them and that there may not be an issue if people brought their own bags. If the numbers being used go up, it may become an issue, he said. "Surely the ones (frames) we have, someone can modify them," said Cllr Gerry Reilly. Mr Collins suggested that somebody in the Trim area might make a bag at a cheaper rate and that would solve the problem.