160 abandoned cars and 170 tonnes of illegal waste removed from Dublin property

Some of the owners of the cars have been identified and will be issued with a €100 fine. Picture: Fingal County Council

Fingal County Council removed 160 'end of life' vehicles from a property in Dublin 11. 

An Garda Siochana, Social Protection, Waste Enforcement, the National Transfrontier Shipment Office and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority (WERLA) were involved in the operation that saw dozens of vehicles removed from Christopher's Lane, Cappoge in Dublin. 

170 tonnes of illegally dumped waste was also removed from the site, a measure that was taken to prevent further illegal activity. 

A combination of CCTV monitoring, waste enforcement inspections and Garda surveillance will be utilised to prevent further illegal dumping of old cars on St Christopher’s Lane.

Some of the owners of the cars have been identified and will be issued with a €100 fine.

Mayor of Fingal County Council, Cllr David Healey said the material of the old vehicles are a danger to the public.

"Unauthorised storage and dismantling of end of life vehicles (ELVs) poses a significant risk to the environment. ELVs contain many hazardous materials such as lead acid batteries, lubricating oil, coolant, brake fluid, and catalytic convertors, all of which must be disposed of safely in order to prevent pollution.”

170 tonnes of illegally dumped waste was also removed from the site, a measure that was taken to prevent further illegal activity. Image: Fingal County Council

The dumping of ELVs was highlighted in the National Waste Enforcement Priority for 2020 for local authorities. Ethna Feltan, Director of Environment and Climate Action at Fingal Council said "Unauthorised storage and dismantling of ELV’s poses a significant risk to the environment. 

This is part of the larger Waste Enforcement Division plan to regularise/close all unauthorised sites operating without planning permission and/or a waste facility permit during the coming months.”

Owners of old cars are asked to bring their vehicle to an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) who will dispose of the vehicle and issue the owner with a certificate of destruction. Failure to do so will result in fines.