COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, February 13, 2023
QUESTION NO. 12
QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor
To ask the CEO to confirm how many illegal dumping fines were issued and then paid across our County in 2022 and will he make a general statement?
REPLY:
In 2022, 418 fines were issued in respect of littering and illegal dumping. To date, 247 of these fines have been paid.
All incidents of illegal dumping and littering reported or detected are investigated by the Council's Litter Warden Service and all material that is found dumped is searched 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 polluters is contained within the dumped material, with personal information having been removed or shredded.
A number of initiatives continue to be implemented through the Environment Water & Climate Change directorate. The Council's Litter Management Plan has committed to the deployment of innovative and emerging technologies, including CCTV and Programmable Audio Messaging Devices to tackle the problem of illegal dumping and fly tipping.
The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was enacted on the 21st of July 2022. The legislation provides for the use of CCTV and Mobile Recording Devices in the Local Government Sector for preventing, detecting, investigating, or prosecuting offences under the Waste Management Act 1996. With the assistance of the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), Local Authorities are developing working a Code of Practice for CCTV and Mobile Recording Devices as required under S14(C) of the Waste Management Act. The Code of Practice will provide guidance on the appropriate and effective use of CCTV and mobile recording devices in waste enforcement.
Village cleansing programme is ongoing in all town and village centres on a daily basis Monday to Friday and on Sundays. Existing cleaning schedules are reviewed and modified regularly, planned and scheduled clean-ups of areas prone to repeated littering / dumping incidents is ongoing, and there is continuing liaison with community groups for Clean-Up collections. Regard is taken of reports / survey findings e.g. IBAL, and resources as available and appropriate, are applied.
Proactive anti-litter and anti-illegal dumping programmes and campaigns are delivered as per the Eastern Midlands Waste Regional Waste Management Plan and the SDCC Litter Management Plan. Some examples of the proactive initiatives that have been previously promoted/carried out include bulky waste collection pilots, bulbs not bonfires Halloween campaigns, Halloween campaigns involving tyre retailers, hazardous wastes collections and bring bank monitoring programmes.
Other initiatives include the Annual National Spring Clean, the PURE project, the Anti-Litter & Anti-Graffiti awareness grants, WEEE collection days, Eco -Week and annual anti-dumping schemes such as the mattress amnesties and area clean-ups.
Continued support is provided for through the Green Schools Programme, South Dublin County has 97 schools registered for this programme which has a theme specially dedicated to litter and waste. Support is provided on an ongoing basis to the green school’s programme through talks, workshops, competitions etc.
Where there is an ongoing problem of illegal dumping in any area, local residents are urged to support the Council in taking the appropriate enforcement action by making reports to the Litter Warden Service for investigation and by providing evidence, including testimony, where possible. 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.
Reports of littering and illegal dumping can be made on the Council’s Litter Warden hotline on 01 4149220 and on the Environmental Protection Agency’s anti-dumping hotline on 1800 365 123.