Cork City Council spent over €23,000 on maintaining its controversial ‘robotrees’ last year, despite a report indicating their impact on air quality was inconclusive.
Two “annual maintenance” payments were made to Green City Solutions: €14,497 on July 19 and €8,940 on July 24 of the previous year.
These payments exceeded prior years’ expenses, with annual maintenance costing €16,778 in 2020, €17,755 in 2021 (which also included €2,396 for repairs), and €17,880 in 2022.
Maintenance cost records for 2023 are absent for the German-engineered devices. These “trees” were designed to utilize moss filters to purify air, absorb pollutants, and collect air quality data.
In November 2023, the reported on a 190-page evaluation report concluding there was “no consistent evidence for improved air quality” either at the CityTree benches themselves or in their “immediate environs.”
Cork City Council commissioned UCC in June 2022 to conduct the performance study, costing €2,500. The study took place over eight rain-free days in June and July 2022.
The robotrees have been the subject of constant criticism since their installation in 2020. UCC’s Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry researcher Dean Venables described them as “a costly and ineffectual gimmick”.
In September 2023, UCC emeritus professor of chemistry John Sodeau labeled the “trees,” which were removed from their wooden bases and placed in storage last month, as a waste of money.
At the time they were removed, Taoiseach Micheál Martin commented on the initiative, stating: “People try things out, some work out, some don’t work out”.
The recent annual maintenance payments were revealed to Cork North Central Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould via a Freedom of Information request.
Mr. Gould stated: “In a city that lacks benches, has broken footpaths, and possesses too few real trees, it is insulting that this money was spent over a four-year period on a failed science experiment.”
“When the studies in November 2023 failed to prove the effectiveness of the trees, we were told there would be extensive scientific study on them. How much has this cost? What did this report find?”
He emphasized that there “should be no more gimmicks in Cork City.” “We need safe footpaths, accessible benches, and sufficient rubbish bins to prevent dog fouling,” Mr. Gould added.
“These may not be glamorous initiatives, but they will make a huge real difference in the lives of ordinary people in our city.” Cork City Council has been asked for comment.
