COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, October 12, 2015
QUESTION NO.5
QUESTION: Councillor J. Lahart
To ask the Chief Executive to outline the number of abandoned cars that have been picked up by the Council in 2014 and 2015?
REPLY:
The Litter Warden Service investigated 70 reports of abandoned vehicles in 2014 and 84 to date in 2015.
The majority of vehicles reported relate to vehicles parked longterm in parking spaces and therefore not deemed to be abandoned.
When the Council receives a complaint regarding what they believe to an abandoned vehicle, they are first advised to contact their local Garda station, as it is An Garda Síochána that have the authority to remove abandoned vehicles. If it has already been reported to the Gardaí and have been redirected by the Gardai to the Council, the following investigation takes place:
- The Litter Warden Service calls out to the location to carry out an inspection of the alleged abandoned vehicle
- If the vehicle carries identification by way of registration plate, tax, insurance or NCT, a vehicle registration check is carried out
- When the vehicle ownership details are returned (3-4 weeks), a letter is issued to the registered owner, requesting that they contact the Council in relation to their vehicle
- When contact is made, if the vehicle is not parked in the vicinity of the registered owners home, they are asked to move the vehicle
- The majority of ownership details returned, relate to a vehicle parked in the vicinity of the registered address, in a parking space and therefore not deemed to be abandoned
- If following inspection the vehicle is deemed in a bad state of repair i.e smashed windows etc and is a danger to the public, arrangements are made for it to be removed deeming it to be litter and not an End of Life Vehicle.
End of Life Vehicles: An end-of-life vehicle (or ELV) is a car or light commercial vehicle which is to be disposed of by the registered owner (in other words, a car or small van which is to be scrapped). Owners of intact end-of-life cars and vans must deposit such vehicles at an appropriately permitted or licensed authorised treatment facility (ATF).
An authorised treatment facility may not charge for accepting an end-of-life vehicle. When one of these vehicles is deposited at an authorised treatment facility, the owner will receive a Certificate of Destruction (COD).
If an owner is having the vehicle collected for deposit at an ATF, they must ensure the company has a valid Waste Collection Permit that allows them to collect the End of Life Vehicle.
There is a list of all ATF’s in South Dublin County Council’s administrative area published on the Council website www.sdcc.ie.