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SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 09, 2026

QUESTION NO.25

QUESTION: Councillor A. Smyth

To ask the Chief Executive to provide a report on litter and illegal dumping enforcement in 2025, including the number of reports or complaints received, the number of fines issued, and the number of warning letters issued and followed up.

REPLY:

SDCC utilises a variety of systems to effectively record, manage, and monitor environmental queries, complaints, and inspections. The Members’ Representation System documents queries submitted by Local Elected Representatives, environmental-related queries are generally treated as non-routine inspections. Each query is forwarded to the appropriate section and assigned to an appropriate staff member or team for further action.

The Environmental Complaints System (ECS) is employed to log complaints from members of the public, with each case tracked from initial report through to enforcement or prosecution, and responsible staff assigned at each stage. Additional Council departments may also record environmental issues requiring follow-up within this system. Complaints received from external sources, such as the EPA’s National Environmental Complaints Line and the See It, Say It app, are entered into the system if they necessitate environmental inspection.

Litter Wardens conduct inspections and enforce provisions under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 (as amended), while Waste Enforcement Officers perform their duties under the Waste Management Act 1996 (as amended). Each Act grants distinct enforcement powers; for example, fixed payment notices for littering offences may only be issued under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended.

Breakdown of enforcement actions carried out in 2025 in relation to litter and illegal dumping are as below:

	Complaints Received & Investigated	Fines Issued	Warning Letters/Notices	Directions under WMA	Legal Referrals
Litter Enforcement	1360	242	63	N/A	94
Waste Enforcement	40	N/A	14	5	4

In 2025, SDCC also installed CCTV at known dumping hotspots in accordance with the LGMA’s Code of Practice. These installations were temporary and resulted in three legal proceedings being initiated.