COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 14, 2020

QUESTION NO. 6

QUESTION: Councillor Teresa Costello

To ask the Chief Executive for details on how the Council proposed to deal with bonfires across the county this year, what plans have been made and what contacts have been made with Garda to co-ordinate services

REPLY:

The Council has always recognised the difficulties that Halloween causes for many communities through the illegal burning of waste on Halloween bonfires, the damage to local amenities, and the threat to property and local services.

In line with previous years the Council will adopt a cross departmental approach, utilising the services of Public Realm, Waste Enforcement, Environmental Awareness, Library Service, Housing and Community Services Departments to prevent damage and promote the “Safe Halloween” message. The Council's response to Halloween in 2020 will involve the following:

• Various awareness measures to highlight the dangers associated with bonfires and the harm done to the environment,
• Action by the Council's Environmental Licensing and Enforcement Section to deal with commercial premises and their obligations to properly store their waste including aerial surveys,
• The Public Realm response to remove stockpiles of bonfire materials will commence as soon as necessary most likely in September,
• Liaison with An Garda Siochana with regard to action being taken by them and by the Council in relation to this matter,
• Liaison with local residents groups who can help to identify the locations of material stockpiles,
• Implementation of the ‘bulbs not bonfires’ scheme
• The social credits scheme will once again facilitate groups who are registered on the scheme with the disposal of materials at the Council's civic amenity site in Ballymount, and this will help to reduce the amount of materials being handed over for bonfires.