The 2022 Pure Mile Project is in full clean-up mode right now with over 800 miles of road, mountains, woodlands, valleys, forestries, and upland amenities being adopted by thousands of Pure Mile Volunteers.
A recent litter pick and cleanup by the Bog Trotters Walking Group and the Pure Project of the beautiful scenic Cunard Road in the South Dublin Uplands resulted in the removal of over 2,500kg of litter and illegal dumping.
The Cunard Road in South Dublin Uplands is a unique landscape and environment attracting thousands of visitors annually. Although Pure has removed tonnes of illegal dumping from this beautiful scenic landscape, they only have one truck and one driver, so they are unable to remove the unsightly small-scale litter from the area. The Bog Trotters Walking Group litter pick and clean-up was a massive achievement and it makes a huge difference to the appearance of the South Dublin Uplands and Pure would like to congratulate all of the Pure Mile Volunteers involved. Pure want to engage with all types of groups and businesses who are interested in ‘Cleaning-Up The South Dublin Uplands’ and they will assist in any way they can.
It is also worth noting that Cunard Road in the South Dublin Uplands is of environmental significance, and part of the Wicklow Mountains National Park. It’s an area of both Irish and European significance and protected under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation. The amount of litter and dumping encountered on the day was both disgusting and disheartening. However, the enthusiasm, energy, and commitment, demonstrated by the people involved in the cleanup was extremely uplifting.
The joint efforts of The Pure Project and Bog Trotters Walking Group resulted in the removal of over 2,500kg of illegal dumping and litter. The Pure Truck concentrated on removing the larger dumped rubbish, which included mattresses, furniture, chairs, construction and demolition waste, and other household waste, while the Pure Mile Volunteers walked the scenic upland roads removing litter from the road verges – The majority of the litter consisted of, cans, bottles, wrappers and plastic, predominantly located at viewing points and pull-ins, no doubt discarded there by people enjoying the scenic landscape and tranquil beauty of the area.
A number of organisations and groups have already registered with the Pure Mile and groups are currently busy ‘Cleaning-Up The South Dublin Uplands’ with Car Parks, Amenity Areas, Upland Roads, Mountain Trails, Woodlands and Forest Entrances, being adopted. Several litter picks / cleanups have been organised throughout the year and areas covered will include, Glenasmole Road, Cunard Road, Piperstown Road, Glassamucky Road, Castle Kelly Road, Ballymorefinn, Kilakee Car Park, The White Road, and all sections of the R115 Military Road.
Brendan Giffney from Bog Trotters Walking Group Walking Group stated;
‘The Bogtrotters are a small friendly hill walking club based in South County Dublin. We walk every weekend in the Dublin/Wicklow mountains. We are very fortunate and appreciative to have such beauty on our doorstep, however we are saddened and appalled by the amount of litter and dumping we come across on a regular basis. As a result of this we as a club have decided to adopt areas as part of the Pure Mile in the South Dublin mountains and remove as much litter and rubbish as possible’
Pure supply all groups with Pure Mile Signs, Pure Mile Bags, Pure Mile High-Vis Vests, litter pickers and gloves, and the Pure Truck collects all rubbish and litter gathered by groups. All groups who register with the Pure Mile Project are invited to the Pure Mile Gala Evening Awards Night, and all receive a Certificate of Participation, a selection of Native Irish Trees, and all feature in the Pure Mile Calendar.
Pure are looking for groups, communities, individuals, schools, walking groups, cycling groups, running groups, scouts, businesses, organisations, EVERYONE, to get involved in the Pure Mile by adopting an upland area in the South Dublin Uplands. All groups who enter will be included in the ‘Clean-Up The Uplands’ Award category and all are in with a chance of winning €500.
Anyone interested in the Pure Mile competition can request an application form and information pack by emailing info@pureproject.ie or it can be downloaded from http://www.pureproject.ie/the-pure-mile/pure-mile-application-form/. You can also write to; Pure Project, Wicklow Mountains, National Park, Kilafin, Laragh, Bray, Co. Wicklow and they will post out all the information or request an application form and information pack by phoning Pure on 0404 45547. To enter, simply put your name and contact details on an application form and the Pure Project Manager will meet you and ‘Walk the Mile’ with you.
Pure would also like to inform the public that the lo-call phone number for reporting illegal dumping in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands has changed from 1850 365 121 to 1800 365 123.
Further information on Pure can be found on www.pureproject.ie – TO REPORT DUMPERS AND DUMPING IN THE SOUTH DUBLIN UPLANDS lo–call 1800 365 123
