Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 September 2018
178. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps being taken to address the growing problem of littering and illegal dumping; if a system such as one being used in parts of north County Dublin (details supplied) will be adopted in other litter and illegal dumping black spots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38160/18]
View answerThe Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to work with local authorities to tackle the problem of illegal dumping and to develop effective deterrents to discourage people from engaging in this anti-social behaviour. In accordance with this commitment, my Department developed an Anti-Dumping Initiative 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. Since its introduction, I have allocated €3.3 million to this initiative which has supported over 400 clean-up and restorative projects while also equipping local authorities with the latest technologies to catch those responsible.
Funding has been provided under this initiative to support a pilot project undertaken by Sligo County Council aimed at tackling and addressing the source of illegal dumping. The aim of this project is to create and maintain a register of how households are managing their waste based on information provided by waste collectors. It is anticipated that this approach will facilitate the process of trying to deal with illegal dumping, the burning of waste and unauthorised waste management. This will form a model of best practice for other Local Authorities to adopt, which in turn will work towards curbing illegal dumping activity nationally.
It is my intention that this project would be rolled out nationally in due course and would be supported by necessary bye-laws requiring householders to retain their receipts as proof of how they are disposing of their waste. It should be noted that certain local authorities have already introduced bye-laws which require householders to sign up to a household waste collection service and that the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices have prepared a template to help standardise bye-laws on the presentation of waste. The template bye-laws place the onus of proof on the householder to prove that they are managing their waste correctly by signing up to a waste collection service or providing receipts for the deposit of waste in authorised facilities.
Although I am pleased that consecutive annual National Litter Pollution Monitoring System Reports have shown that the litter situation is generally improving across the country in recent years, I am concerned that the fines for offences currently in place under the Litter Pollution Acts, particularly for "on-the-spot" fines, do not serve as a sufficient deterrent. That is why I propose to increase substantially the penalty for on-the-spot offences bringing the current fine of €150 to €250.
