Agencies in Athy vow to work together to tackle illegal dumping
On the initiative of the Athy Municipal District Committee, a meeting comprising all relevant agencies took place on Wednesday in Athy to work collaboratively in the fight against illegal dumping.
Representatives of An Garda Síochána, Coillte, the Irish Farmers Association, Waterways Ireland, Bord na Móna, Athy Municipal District members and Council staff all attended.
All agreed that the issue of illegal dumping was becoming a scourge on the local environment and there was unanimous agreement to work together in tackling the problem.
Local community involvement and citizenship was identified as being key to any future impetus, in particular, encouraging groups and individuals to be vigilant and report incidents of dumping either through the council's Litter Report Freephone 1800 24 31 43 or directly to the Gardai for follow -up.
It was noted that the new council Waste Management (Segregation, Storage and Presentation of Household and Commercial Waste) bye-laws 2018 come into force from 1 March next, which will involve the council's Waste Enforcement and Area Community Warden teams (Environment) calling door to door, where merited, to seek proof of the use of an authorised waste collection service by the household/ business.
There will be a particular focus on the 'Man in a Van' type service, which was identified as the biggest contributor to the problem.
It was also confirmed that Athy Gardaí are currently progressing a number of prosecutions.
Householders availing of such illegal services will also face significant fines under the new requirements.
The number of litter fines generally has increased by 17.5% to 505 in 2018 and the council has significantly increased the number of Community Wardens in the county. The council reiterated its strong intent to continue this enforcement drive and to work collaboratively with all agencies at a local level.
To report illegal dumping, contact Kildare County Council’s Litter Report Freephone at 1800 24 31 43.