Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
111. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to reduce illegal dumping nationwide; if he is satisfied that current measures to prevent dumping are sufficient; the role of CCTV in any prevention measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13088/21]
View answerMy Department continues to work closely with the EPA and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities through the National Waste Enforcement Steering Committee to ensure that the legislation in place is robust and effective in assisting their enforcement efforts. The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy published in September 2020 contains a range of actions designed to enhance existing waste enforcement activity. These include:
- an enhanced role for the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs),
- the development of an anti-dumping toolkit for use by local authorities,
- the development of an illegal and unauthorised sites action plan to assist local authorities,
- greater use of fixed penalty notices,
- data-proofing of waste legislation to facilitate the use of available and emerging technologies in a manner which is GDPR-compliant;
These will build on existing actions to combat illegal dumping such as the Anti-Dumping Initiative, which was launched by my Department in 2017, and has provided funding of €9.3 million to local authorities in support of over 1,000 projects. Last year €3m was allocated to local authorities in support of the Anti-Dumping Initiative, €1 million of which was ring-fenced to combat illegal dumping activities arising from the COVID-19 crisis. This funding supported over 300 projects nationwide during 2020, including a national anti-dumping awareness communications campaign, "Your Country - Your Waste", which I launched in November 2020.
My Department also funds local authorities and the WERLAs through the annual Local Authority Waste Enforcement Measures Grant scheme, which supports the recruitment and retention of over 150 local authority waste enforcement personnel nationwide.
The use of CCTV and other audio-visual recording (AVR) equipment to assist waste enforcement efforts is primarily an operational matter for local authorities, but I intend to amend the Waste Management Acts to data-proof waste enforcement legislation.
