COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF CLONDALKIN, NEWCASTLE, RATHCOOLE, SAGGART AND BRITTAS AREA COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
QUESTION NO. 5
QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin
To ask the Chief Executive for an update on his efforts to tackle dumping blackspots on the Bawnogue Road at Lindisfarne and in Deansrath?
REPLY:
All reports of illegal dumping and littering are investigated by the Council's Litter Warden Service and all dumped material 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.
Village cleansing programme is ongoing in all town and village centres on a daily basis Monday to Friday and also 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.
An ongoing 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.
Some other proactive initiatives carried out include the 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. All campaigns are widely promoted on the Council's social media, in print media, radio and cinema advertising.
Continued support is provided for through the Green Schools Programme, in 2024/25 there were 134 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.
From January 2025 to date, there have been 20 applications received, and assistance provided through the social credit scheme. The following materials are available throughout the county, in the two Council offices and a number of community centres to successful applicants: litter pickers, bags, hi-vis vests, shovels and brushes, paint, paint brushes and native/pollinator seeds have been added to materials provided. Groups who avail of the supports are requested to return the materials following their clean up so that other groups may avail of them. 24 groups registered to participate in the National Spring Clean to date.
As always, the public is encouraged to work with the Council in helping to identify culprits who engage in illegal dumping and to report any incidents observed.
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 1850 365 121.
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.
Once the matter has been investigated by the Litter Warden, it is then referred on to the Public Realm section for removal.
SDCC is continually monitoring an array of potential sites, that will meet the Code of Practise (COP) criteria for CCTV and have developed Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) in line with the provisions of the COP and in consultation with the Data Protection Officer.
As identified sites meet the COP criteria, business cases will be submitted to the Council's CCTV Oversight Board and subsequently to the Chief Executive for approval.
Our enforcement section is continuing to monitor the locations mentioned in this motion and if they are identified as sites that meet the COP criteria, our enforcement team will progress them to the next stage of the process.