1.6 tonnes of tyres and two tonnes of rubbish collected on scenic hills

1.6 tonnes of tyres and two tonnes of rubbish collected on scenic hills

By Mary Dennehy

AN URGENT call for homeowners to avoid unregistered waste collectors was issued this week, after more than two tonnes of rubbish and 1.6 tonnes of tyres were collected from the scenic Tallaght hills on Monday.

On the same day that Tallaght was branded ‘clean to European norms’ in the IBAL [Irish Business Against Litter] survey, the hills of Piperstown in Bohernabreena and Glenasmole were littered with domestic rubbish, skip bags, electrical items, couches, washing machines and tyres – some of which had been set alight.

Dumping Dublin Mountains

The Pure project, which was established to combat illegal dumping and fly-tipping in the Wicklow/Dublin uplands, pulled into the area on Monday and, with support from South Dublin County Council and local residents, removed around two tonnes of domestic waste and 1.6 tonnes of tyres from one stretch of road.

Ian Davies, project manager with Pure, said: “It’s disgraceful the level of illegal dumping going on in this area and the volume of rubbish collected this week was just crazy.

“There was all kinds of waste up there and some of it had been set alight, it was unbelievable how bad the area was.”

He added: “We have noted an increase in incidents of larger scale dumping and this is partly down to people using unregistered waste collectors.

“If you use an unregistered waste collector, your skip bag or household waste will end up on your local greenspace or in the Dublin Mountains – and unfortunately the person who hands over waste to an unregistered collector is responsible for the dumping.

Dumping Dublin Mountains tyres

“We’d advise householders to always ask to see a company’s waste collection permit before giving them the job.

“We all have to work together to combat this type of dumping in our mountain areas, which is unfortunately getting worse.

“On Monday, Pure, the council and residents all worked together to clear this area and we now need householders to do their bit and stay away from unregistered waste collectors.”

People have also been encouraged to report any instances of illegal dumping they witness in the mountain areas.

In August alone, Pure removed around 20 tonnes of illegal dumping from the South Dublin area, with the organisation working alongside communities, special interest groups, cycling clubs, walking groups, like Kiltipper Ramblers, and South Dublin County Council to combat this growing problem.

“This has been one of Pure’s busiest years”, Ian said.

“Dumping is on the rise and while we are looking at ways to tackle it, like covert CCTV, we need communities to come on board.

“We can make a difference through collaboration.”

For further details visit www.pureproject.ie or to report illegal dumping on Lo-call 1850 365 121.

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