COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2024

QUESTION NO. 53

QUESTION: Councillor N. Whelan

To ask the Chief Executive to outline what extra measures are put in by this council, in the lead up to Halloween, to prevent illegal bonfires. What is the process for reporting potential bonfire stashes?

REPLY:

The Council recognises the challenges that Halloween presents 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 response to Halloween in recent years the Council has adopted a cross departmental approach utilising the services of Public Realm, Waste Enforcement, Environmental Awareness, Library Services, Housing and Community Services Departments to prevent damage and promote the “Safe Halloween” message. The Council's response to Halloween in 2024 will involve the following elements as it has done in other recent years:

• Various awareness measures to highlight the dangers associated with bonfires and the harm done to the environment.
• Funding of community based activities which are intended to divert children away from bonfires and other anti-social behaviour.
• Action by the Council's Environmental Licensing and Enforcement Section to deal with commercial premises and their obligations to properly store their waste including waste tyres and pallets and prevent these materials from ending up on bonfires (including aerial surveys of premises where necessary).
• The Public Realm response to remove stockpiles of bonfire materials will take place throughout September and October as in previous years and will intensify as Halloween approaches.
• The Public Realm Section will have operational staff on duty over the October bank holiday weekend collecting bonfire materials as in previous years. 
• 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 which is a reward provided through South Dublin County Council’s Social Credit Scheme. This initiative provides communities with flowers in the Spring instead of scarred open space throughout the year. In recent years the Council has spent approximately €2,500 per year on bulbs for this popular scheme and it is envisaged that a similar sum will be spent again this year on the 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.
• RecycleIT will again be requested to run free door to door electrical recycling collection days in residential areas across South Dublin prior to Halloween.  These collection days are now annual events and help ensure hazardous electrical equipment and batteries don’t find their way onto seasonal Bonfires.  This scheme helps residents to recycle all types of electrical, electronic and battery-operated equipment including old heaters, electronic toys, TV’s, washing machines, cookers, kettles, phones and computers, and any other item with a plug or battery (including batteries).  
• The Council will also run a free to use mattress amnesty again this year in conjunction with our social enterprise partners RecycleIT.    Anyone unable to attend these collection days, will have an opportunity to drop their unwanted mattress off with our partners RecycleIt at their premises in Crag Industrial Estate, D22, free of charge.