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Lisburn & Castlereagh Council continues to tackle Dog Fouling

December 6, 2021

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has invested in a third FIDO* machine to help tackle dog fouling across the Council area.

The machine is designed to safely remove dog fouling from local roads, pavements and grassy areas whilst also cleaning the area. It will allow the Street Cleansing Team to cover more areas and pay particular attention to more troublesome spots.

Chair of Environmental Services Councillor Andrew Ewing said: “We are grateful to have been able to use the DEA Investment Programme to purchase our third FIDO machine for the benefit of our community in Lisburn & Castlereagh.

“After our successful trial of the Paint Means Poo campaign, this additional FIDO machine continues to show the commitment by the Council to dog fouling.

“Paint Means Poo helped to bring down numbers in our three trial areas by highlighting dog fouling that wasn’t collected by a dog’s owner. In some areas, numbers decreased three fold in a matter of weeks.

 “We know there are many responsible dog owners in Lisburn & Castlereagh but sadly we still have some who think it is acceptable to not pick up after their dog.

“Please continue to remember to take bags on your walk and now, with it being dark earlier, do watch your dog to ensure you don’t leave anything behind. Remember that you can use any of the Council litter bins to dispose of the waste.

“Ultimately, we want owners to be responsible for picking up after their own dogs rather than the Council.”

Community Development Worker Valerie Douglas from the Ballymacash Regeneration Network added: “We are very pleased to hear about the Council’s commitment to tackling Dog Fouling.

“We would like to echo the message that owners should be picking up after their dogs and not be leaving it behind. We want our community to be safe from the dangers that dog fouling causes along with the mess it leaves behind for everyone.

“We are very thankful to Council staff who come to help pick it up when others won’t but we would urge dog owners to be responsible.”

Caption: Chair of Environmental Services Councillor Andrew Ewing was joined by Valerie Douglas, Laura Turner and Stevan Wallace from Ballymacash Regeneration Network with the new FIDO machine.

* Faeces Intake Disposal Operation