Council spending €55k removing and disposing of illegally dumped waste every month
By Maurice Garvey
DUBLIN City Council are spending over €55k removing and disposing illegally dumped waste every month – a shocking statistic which has led to one local councillor to call for radical action, reports Maurice Garvey.
Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan, is proposing an undercover joint operation with council officials and gardaí – akin to a successful scheme rolled out to tackle dog-fouling in Walkinstown and Drimnagh last year.
Dublin South Central is considered to be the “number one problem area” on the southside of the city.
DCC waste services management estimate clean-up and removal costs at €669,708 per year in 2014/15, in their administrative areas.
Doolan cites Tyrconnell Road in Inchicore as one such litter blackspot, and is proposing the road be piloted for any undercover scheme.
Cllr Doolan said: “Illegal dumping has been tolerated for too long. It is a major health risk and proving very costly. Posters and ads have failed to have the desired effect.
“I am proposing that dumping blackspots are the focus of undercover teams supported by gardaí and cameras. It had a positive effect in tackling dog fouling. People need to know swift action will be taken.”
Doolan will raising this at the forthcoming Dublin South Central meeting and seek support to pilot the scheme on Tyrconnell Road.”
DCC acknowledge the South Central as “the number one problem area on the south side”.
The breakdown of the €669k costs include labour (€446k), fleet and fuel (€131k) and disposal (€91k).
Labour, fleet and fuel costs are estimated based on nine men engaged full-time in the collection of dumped bags across all five DCC admin areas.
The figure does not include costs relating to the litter wardens service or admin/clerical costs involved in the management and collection of illegally dumped waste.
The undercover dog fouling pilot programme proved “extraordinarily effective” with council inspectors and gardaí sniffing out 25 offenders – leading to fines of €150.
