City announces crackdown on illicit dumping

WATERFORD City Council has announced a major clampdown on littering and dumping as the city gears up for the peak tourist season and the Tall Ships race in July.

The local authority has already secured four convictions this year and Waterford mayor Seamus Ryan said the city council is determined to stamp out the problem once and for all.

“We’ve done a lot in the city council to deal with littering and illegal dumping but have to put in place the proper punitive measures locally and nationally to deal with this issue. If that means increasing fines, so be it,” he said.

City dwellers have a three bin system to segregate their waste and the local authority also organises a number of collections each year for bulkier items which are not typically taken in the kerbside collection.

The Director of Planning and Environment Michael Walsh said that as part of the clampdown campaign, Waterford City Council is surveying 1,000 addresses on their waste management database to see who is putting rubbish out for collection and who is not.

“We have gathered a good body of information from this survey about households who are not presenting rubbish and who we are not satisfied with the explanation they have given as to how they are disposing of their waste,” he said.

The Council has also introduced on-the-spot fines and surveillance and says convictions will be pursued against those who fail to pay their fines.

“Last year we gave out 200 on-the-spot fines at €125 a go. We had 17 to 18 prosecutions involving a fine of between €400 and €500. We also have a name and shame policy and openly advertise the names of those successfully prosecuted,” he added.

Over the past five years, the amount of illegal waste dumped in the city has spiralled from 200 tons per annum to approximately 600 tons in 2004. The cost to the city of managing the problem of illegal dumping was €140,000 last year.

The people of Waterford city typically pay a €100 standing charge for their waste collection service, as well as €6 per waste or grey bin and €1.50 each for the recycling bins.