Authorities reveal fall in reports of illegal dumping

Amid fears that hikes in bin charges could result in a rise in illegal dumping and fly-tipping, many local authorities have stressed that the problem has eased in recent years.

Figures from some larger local authorities show considerable falls in the level of illegal dumping.

For example, figures from Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown show that in 2014, the council received reports of 2,435 incidents of dumping/fly- tipping in the county, whereas last year the figure was 2,102 — a decrease of approximately 13.6%.

In Limerick City and County the fall in illegal dumping last year was even more pronounced. There were 2,099 litter-related complaints in 2015, including reports of bags found, fly- tipping and complaints of litter on land. In 2014 the city and county council received 2,829 litter-related complaints and a spokesperson said the figures in recent years had been consistent in terms of the number of people prosecuted for litter offences, even though the quantities of rubbish detected had decreased.

South Dublin County Council, another local authority that has in the past reported issues with illegal dumping, also reported a decrease, from 2,849 reports in 2014 to 2,372 last year.

A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said the local authority does not keep figures for illegal dumping but “there is currently no evidence to suggest that the situation is getting any worse”.

Waterford County and City Council said it has received 572 complaints so far this year regarding fly- tipping and littering and it received approximately 1,000 complaints in 2015. A spokesperson said the figures were “on par” and showed no great increase in the number of reports made.

“There is a lot more public discourse around fly-tipping and littering but we would not see that the situation has increased,” she said.