COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

MOTION NO. 13

MOTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

"That the Manager would make a report summarizing the Council's Strategy to address illegal dumping and litter in Lucan and Palmerston, giving account of recent work by the Litter Wardens and Cleansing Staff to combat littering and illegal dumping, including at identified black spots."

REPORT:

All reports of illegal dumping and littering are investigated by the Council's Litter Warden Service and dumped material is interrogated for evidence.  Where evidence is found, the appropriate enforcement action is taken under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended.  Increasingly, it is found that no personal information relating to the polluters is contained within the dumped material with personal information having been removed or shredded.

The Litter Warden has also been actively monitoring the laneways in the Palmerstown area and has investigated 19 complaints in relation to illegal dumping in the laneways to date in 2014.

The Council's Enforcement and Licensing Section continues to monitor acute illegal dumping black spots throughout the County and where it appears there is a recurring practice of illegal dumping of household waste, letters are issued to residents of nearby estates/roads alerting them to their obligations for disposal of household waste in a responsible manner and requesting that residents submit details of their chosen form of household waste disposal.

South Dublin County Council has two (2) Rapid Deployment CCTV cameras available to it.  The Enforcement and Licensing Section is currently working with the CCTV contractor in assessing locations, which have been identified as black spots, with a view to locating the cameras in areas that are most likely to yield results from an enforcement perspective.

Where there is an on going problem of illegal dumping and littering in any area, local residents are urged and encouraged to support the Council in taking the appropriate enforcement action by making reports to the Litter Warden for investigation and by providing evidence where possible and testifying in court.  Members of the public can make reports to the Litter Warden Service via the Customer Care Contact System, Fix Your Street or by phoning 4149220.

Additionally, residents are encouraged through the medium of the Council's Social Credits Scheme to seek rewards for community based initiatives, such as community clean ups.