Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 March 2018
350. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount spent on removing and disposing of illegally dumped waste in 2017; the amount allocated for same in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14886/18]
View answer351. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of complaints his Department received about illegal dumping in each year since 2011, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14887/18]
View answer352. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount spent on anti-dumping public awareness campaigns since 2011; the main projects and initiatives paid for by the funding; and the amount that he has budgeted for this in 2018, in tabular form. [14888/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 350 to 352, inclusive, together.
Enforcement actions against illegal waste activity are a matter for the Local Authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While this Department does not compile statistics in relation to complaints made, information is available through the Local Government Management Agency’s website
http://www.lgma.ie/en/publication-category/service-indicator-reports-2004-2010
and the EPA’s website
http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/enforcement/performanceframework/focusonlocalauthorityenvironmentalenforcement2014-2016performancereport.html.
The total cost of illegal dumping is not collated by my Department as it includes local authority enforcement, disposal and legal costs and also involves costs for other State agencies such as An Garda Síochána.
In recognition of the impact of illegal dumping on communities across the country, my Department has developed an Anti-Dumping Initiative to identify high risk or problem areas, develop appropriate enforcement responses and carry out clean-up operations in partnership with local authorities and community organisations. In 2017, funding of €1.3 million was provided to local authorities under this initiative. Further details of the funding provided is available on my Department’s website at https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/news-and-media/press-releases/Pages/Naugthen-increases-funds-to-.aspx. The initiative was overseen by the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs) and each of the 31 local authorities participated. Over 200 projects were funded and included
- clean-up operations - removing over 2,500 tonnes of waste;
- awareness campaigns - social media campaigns, leaflets;
- preventative measures - installation of signage and fencing;
- surveillance operations - CCTV, drone and trail surveillance;
- SMART enforcement equipment and resources for waste enforcement officers.
This year, I am increasing the allocation to €2 million to build on the momentum created. All local authorities have been invited to apply.
