2,000 complaints and 240 fines issued over illegal dumping

A total of 2,000 complaints about illegal dumping and littering were received and investigated by the council in 2025.

Over 240 fines were issued by South Dublin County Council’s Litter Wardens, while a total of 77 warning letters and notices were issued last year.

“SDCC utilises a variety of systems to effectively record, manage, and monitor environmental queries, complaints, and inspections,” the council’s director of climate action Teresa Walsh wrote in response to a question from Cllr Adam Smyth (FF) at the full council meeting on March 9.

Cllr Smyth had asked for a “report on litter and illegal dumping enforcement in 2025, including the number of reports or complaints received, the number of fines issued, and the number of warning letters issued and followed up”.

There were 1390 litter enforcement complaints received and investigated by litter wardens last year, while waste enforcement officers investigated a further 40 complaints.

A total of 98 legal referrals – 94 for littering and 4 for illegal dumping – were also undertaken, as well as five directions under the Waste Management Act 1996.

A number of legal proceedings were initiated as a result of CCTV installations “at known dumping hotspots” around the county, including Kiltalown Lane and the entrance to Montpelier View in Jobstown, in accordance with the LGMA’s Code of Practice.

“These installations were temporary and resulted in three legal proceedings being initiated,” Ms Walsh said.

 Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme