Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 May 2018
41. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to address illegal dumping under the anti-dumping initiative; his views on whether local authorities need strengthened legislation to combat this environmental vandalism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23212/18]
View answerMy role, as Minister, is to provide the legislative and policy framework under which both local authority and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforcement action against illegal dumping is initiated. Local authorities have specific powers under sections 55 and 56 of the Act to require measures to be taken, or to take measures directly, to prevent or limit environmental pollution caused or likely to be caused by the holding, recovery or disposal of waste, and to mitigate or remedy the effects on the environment of any such activity.
Penalties for serious dumping offences provided for under the Waste Management Acts are substantial. Persons who are found to be responsible for, or involved in, the unauthorised disposal of waste are liable to a maximum fine of €5,000 on summary conviction and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months, and to a maximum fine of €15M on indictment and/or imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Notwithstanding this, my Department encourages a multi-faceted approach to tackling the problem, incorporating enforcement, public awareness and education. As such, I introduced an Anti-Dumping Initiative in 2017 to work in partnership with local authorities and community organisations in identifying high risk or problem areas, developing appropriate enforcement responses and carrying out clean-up operations. Such was the response from across the country that I doubled the initial financial allocation with €1.3M overall being provided to support 200 anti-dumping projects throughout Ireland.
Building on from the success of last year, I confirmed increased funding of €2M for the 2018 Anti-Dumping Initiative and in April, I announced the projects nationwide that have been approved for funding with the full list available on my Department's website: https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/environment/topics/waste/enforcement/anti-dumping-initiative/Pages/default.aspx.
The scope of the projects include:
- clean-up operations - removing illegal waste from across the country;
- household bulky waste initiatives – mattress/couch amnesties;
- awareness campaigns – social media campaigns and radio;
- preventative measures – installation of signage and fencing;
- surveillance operations – CCTV, drone and trail surveillance;
- SMART enforcement equipment and resources for waste enforcement officers.
In addition to the 200 plus projects that will receive funding from my Department, this year's Anti-Dumping Initiative includes a national pilot project undertaken by Sligo County Council aimed at tackling and addressing the source of illegal dumping through an Eircodes investigation while funding is also being made available to support the Connaught/Ulster Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority in undertaking research on crime in the waste sector including an overview of the scale, cost and impact of waste crime in Ireland, and an assessment of illegal dumping identifying the socioeconomic and other factors leading to such activities.
