130 tonnes of bonfire material ‘intercepted’
The council has estimated that 130 tonnes of bonfire material was “intercepted” in the weeks leading up to Halloween in 2025.
Over 1,000 mattresses and several tonnes of other hazardous household waste was collected from south Dublin residents for free instead of being thrown onto bonfires.
South Dublin County Council’s director of climate action Teresa Walsh said that thanks to mattress, hazardous chemicals and WEEE amnesties throughout year, “1,225 mattresses and 8.4 tonnes of hazardous waste was collected free of charge to SDCC residents”.
She also said that thanks to reports from the public on “locations of suspected bonfire material”, an estimated 130 tonnes of bonfire material was intercepted by council crews working in conjunction with local Gardaí.
Ms Walsh shared these figures at the full council meeting on Monday, February 9, as part of her response to a question from Cllr Darragh Adelaide (PBP-S).
Cllr Adelaide had asked the council to the feasibility of providing “a waste collection service to estates across the county, or a staggered cut in charges for using Ballymount in the run up to Halloween to limit the quantity of waste burned”.
“Current waste management and circular economy legislation focuses on the recovery rather than the disposal of waste,” Ms Walsh said in response to Cllr Adelaide’s question.
She said the council “does not believe there is a need to provide additional waste collection services in housing estates” based on the extensive level of services and initiatives already provided.
These include social media campaigns, organising “fun, creative, and family friendly Halloween events for the whole community” and reminding business owners of their obligation to correctly store and dispose of their waste “as a large source of the stockpiled material originates from industrial areas”.
Ms Walsh also stated that SDCC would not reduce costs at Ballymount civic amenity at specific times of the year “as this will likely result in an increase in the storing and hoarding of waste, resulting in issues such as attracting vermin, increased risk of fire and general litter/waste management issues”.
“Based on an assessment of neighbouring civic amenity sites and privately operated facilities, the current SDCC gate fees are comparable if not lower for typical car users,” she stated, also noting that 22% of the 146,727 vehicles received at Ballymount last year “incurred no charge due to appropriate segregation and recovery of disposed material”.
“As always, SDCC Public Realm team are available to work with the elected members and communities, to identify additional or alternate methods to help reduce the occurrence of bonfires and promote the value of our parks and green spaces.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
