Locals in Dublin are appealing to people to take their rubbish with them when they go.
It comes amid a surge in littering levels in local parks and areas.
Clare Kelly is a coordinator with the Mount Merrion Residents Association.
She told Lunchtime Live they want people to enjoy the facilities but keep them clean.
"This is a problem, particularly since lockdown, that the parks are getting a huge amount of usage and people aren't brining their rubbish home with them.
"There is no way that the council, or the bins, could keep up with the amount of rubbish that's been left.
"We always did a monthly clean up in Mount Merrion - we always had people who came out really early in the morning, about 6.30 or 7.00 - and they would gather up the rubbish and leave it beside the bins for the council to collect.
"But what we need is for people to bring home their own rubbish."
'Takeaway outlets'
Clare said they want people to use the parks, but to just clean up after themselves.
"It has obviously got worse with the good weather because there are people partying in the parks - we've no problem with that.
"But we need them to bring their rubbish home with them".
She said that even before the pandemic, some 80% of the rubbish in the area was beverage containers.
"Now of course we have a lot more takeaway outlets who are providing the food and the drinks.
"Initially it was particularly bad, so we got in touch with our councillors who got in touch with the providers - and they are now making an effort to clear up around the areas where the food and drinks are provided.
"But of course they're bringing them into the parks and then they're just discarding them".
Clare added the council is doing its best, with more rubbish collections taking place, but there is a simple solution.
"You could not have enough bins for the amount of rubbish that is collected - just think of all of the people that are coming now within the 5km radius to Deer Park.
"The council couldn't keep up, they're doing their best - they have put in more collections - we would like more bins, but we really would like people to bring home their own rubbish".
'By-laws not being enforced'
Brian Flynn is from Dún Laoghaire Tidy Towns, and said they have people out cleaning every day.
"The worst problems we have at the moment are the fast-food outlets.
"People are taking from the well-known fast-food outlets and they're moving down 100 metres to the seafront, and they're discarding everything all over the place.
"There's a huge amount of outdoor drinking and partying going on, there doesn't appear to be any police control whatsoever.
"Dog fouling is an epidemic along our piers, cigarette butts - we collect thousands and thousands".
Brian said local authorities are doing the best they can, but laws are not being enforced.
"A serious problem that we have in this country: there is almost no enforcement of our litter by-laws, of our storage and collection of household waste by-laws.
"All commercial premises are obliged, under law, to have a bin of their own outside their premises.
"They are also obliged under law to carry out a clean up of litter within 100 metres of their premises on an hourly basis, and at the start and close of business.
"A few businesses are doing that, we have very good support from a few of the local businesses, but by and large this is not being enforced whatsoever by the council".
