Dumped Onions Cause Council Concern

Chronicle (Levin), 4 February 1949, Page 3

Dumped Onions Cause Council Concern

Several tons of onios dumped at the Shannon Borough Council's j rubbish tip by an Opiki market garderier are causing the council 'much concern. At a meeting on Tuesday evening, the town clerk, Mr. J. T. Bovis, stated that, at the request of the health inspector, he had written to the person concerned asking that the onions be removed from the dump. / , The health inspector pomted out that whiie in Shannon he saw a jtruck loa-d of old onions being car'ried to the borough rubbish tip and he had instructed the driver that he eould not dump them there. His instructions had been carried out. Although the driver told him that over three tons were involved but from another -direction, the inspector learned that there was over ten tons already dumped at the rubbish tip. The market gardener was instructed to remove those already dumped. . In stating his reasons for this action, -the health inspector said that the onions would continue to be a nuisance at the tip for a considerajale time, both from the point of view of the smell an'd rotting nuisance. Even after several months, if disturbed, they would smell. He considered that the tip was for the use of borough people and not for the deposit of offensive matter from farms several miles away in ,the country. The health inspector went on to state that he realised that the disposal of surplus onions from the market gardens each year was a problem, and they were deposite-d on roadsides and in rivers. It was pointed out that if the council allowed the dumping of onions in its tip there would be a continuous smell nuisance. Or. L. G. Sayer stated that he had discussed the matter with the market gardener concerned and ha'd been told that, if dumped on the gardens, the onions presented a fly nuisance. He later learned that about four tim.es the amount mentioned by the health officer was involved. He understoo'd that the market gardener had been paid for the onions dumped at the rate of about £25 per ton. The health inspector had stated that," even if covered with over two feet of earth, there would still be a smell as the onions rotted. It was agree'd by the council that the action as mentioned above be carried out.