Darren O'Rourke
Question:152. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to combat fly tipping and illegal dumping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12598/21]
View answerWednesday, 10 March 2021
Questions (152, 154)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:154. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the amount each local authority spent in 2018, 2019 and 2020 cleaning up fly tipping and illegal dumping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12600/21]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 154 together.
My Department continues to work closely with both 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; and
- a new national communications and education programme, building on the work of the Waste Communications Strategy Group and the Waste Advisory Group.
These will all 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 alone €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 supports local authorities and Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities 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. Questions in relation to the full annual cost of waste enforcement by each local authority should be direct towards individual local authorities.