Chairperson of Galway City Tidy Towns welcomes the announcement that Tobacco companies will have to pay part of the State’s multimillion-euro street cleaning bills from tomorrow

The chairperson of Galway City Tidy Towns has this morning welcomed the news that Tobacco companies will have to pay part of the State's multimillion-euro street cleaning bills from tomorrow under new Government legislation prompted by European Union moves to cut plastic waste.

As reported in this morning's Irish Times, €85 million was spent by local authorities last year on street cleaning with Cigarette butts accounting for half of all litter.

The legislation will target cigarette butts first but later will focus on fishing gear, balloons and wet wipes under extended producer responsibility schemes that are to be established by all European Union member states.

Speaking this morning, Chairperson of Galway City Tidy Towns Niall McNelis welcomed the announcement saying said that the money spent by Local Authorities last year on street cleaning was money that could have been spent in other ways.