COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 10, 2025

QUESTION NO. 16

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive for a detailed report on dumping by LEA and how CCTV is and will be used in each LEA?

REPLY:

Reports of illegal dumping are in the first instance referred to and investigated by the Council’s Litter Warden Service,  if evidence is found then enforcement action may be pursued under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 as amended. Following the litter warden investigation cases are then referred to the Public Realm section for the removal of waste.

The Council endeavours to arrange removal of dumped material within 48 hours where possible. This timeframe may not always be achievable however due to factors such as the volume and nature of the waste, site accessibility and the availability of resources or specialised equipment which may be required in some instances. Despite these operational constraints the removal of illegal dumping is prioritised and every effort is made to ensure timely removal within a 48-hour time period to maintain clean and safe public spaces.

All illegal dumping incidents are logged into the Environmental Complaints system but there is no provision to produce a report by LEA.  

In accordance with the LGMA codes of practice for the operation of CCTV for the purposes of prevention, detection and prosecution of waste and litter offences, both the litter enforcement and the waste enforcement sections are continually reviewing sites subject to complaints across the county.

Waste Enforcement & Licencing recently deployed CCTV at various locations where multiple reports of illegal dumping had been received. Seven overt CCTV cameras were installed on site for a period of up to 8 weeks.

During this time, the data from these cameras was routinely downloaded and if alleged illegal dumping was observed this information was forwarded for appropriate enforcement action.  In total eight incidents of alleged illegal dumping were recorded over the trial period (July to September).  Interestingly all the alleged illegal dumping took place during daylight hours.

As a result of evidence retrieved from the CCTV cameras several individuals were invited to attend an ‘interview under caution’ regarding the alleged incidents. However, as none of the alleged offenders attended, prosecution proceedings have now been initiated against them.

During this period three of the cameras were vandalised and had to be replaced. The locations and dates for the next installation of CCTV are currently being finalised.