Messaging being lost under piles of unlawfully dumped rubbish

Despite all the anti-littering appeals, many people still don’t get the message, with unauthorised dumping  accelerating as a fundamental cause of litter pollution

Last year, Cork City Council received over 850 complaints of illegal dumping. Picture: iStock

How to catch people engaged in illegal dumping remains a tantalising problem. But are local authorities only helping the culprits by putting up notices that cameras have been placed in well-known dumping blackspots?

After getting that invaluable information, it’s obvious these people will only head off in some other direction with their rubbish…to where nobody can see them.

A comment on such notices by Cllr Jackie Healy-Rae, at a recent meeting of Kerry County Council, was garnished with a hefty dollop of common sense. “People aren’t that stupid. They will simply dump elsewhere,’’ he declared matter-of-factly.

Undoubtedly, people return to the same blackspots, but neither have they any problem in finding other dumping grounds in fairly remote areas, bogs, waste ground and roadside trenches.

And they are becoming harder to catch. At one time, council investigators looked for postal items in the waste that might give clues as to where culprits lived. But, it appears, guilty parties no longer leave forwarding addresses.

Meanwhile, the annual National Spring Clean will take place throughout April, with communities, schools and local organisations being invited to take part. Those interested can register online and kits are provided. Last year, more than 5,400 groups participated, picking up thousands of tonnes of litter.

The annual National Spring Clean takes place throughout April, with communities, schools and local organisations being invited to take part. Picture: iStock

Despite all the anti-littering appeals, many people still don’t get the message. What’s more, unauthorised dumping is accelerating as a fundamental cause of litter pollution. Some people believe this may be due to the introduction of pay-by-weight charges for domestic refuse, in 2005, according to a report by the Litter Monitoring Body.

Tobacco waste, with a mixture of cigarette butts, matches, wrappers, matchboxes and lighters, accounted for almost half of all litter pollution. Millions of discarded vapes - a burgeoning issue - could also be included.

The smoking ban in pubs, public buildings and places of leisure and entertainment has only exacerbated matters, with smokers being forced onto streets and outside areas when they feel the need for a puff.

Chewing gum was found to be the single largest litter component in the food-related litter section, contributing to over 33% of litter pollution, according to the report prepared for the Department of the Environment.

Last year, Cork City Council received over 850 complaints. Illegally dumped household furniture and electrical goods featured prominently - mattresses, beds, sleeping bags, a kitchen sink, fridges, TV sets, wire cables, washing machines, a dryer and an electric fire. Many of the aforementioned items could, of course, have been recycled free of charge.

There were hundreds of complaints about food waste, like fish heads on Wellington Avenue and a raw leg of lamb on Ballyhooly Road.