Local authorities urged to use CCTV to tackle 'scourge' of illegal dumping 

A total of €10.5m has been allocated this year to tackle illegal dumping.

Government ministers are urging local authorities to begin introducing CCTV to combat littering and illegal dumping.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan and minister of state at the Department of the Environment Ossian Smyth were responding to questions about what the Government was doing to tackle the problem — which has been described as a "scourge of the countryside, towns, and villages".

A total of €10.5m has been allocated for 2024 to deal with illegal dumping, and Mr Ryan pointed out that relevant sections and acts had been enabled in February to allow the use of mobile recording devices.

He said: "It is therefore now open to any local authority to begin the process of putting the required procedures in place to allow for the use of such technologies to combat littering and illegal dumping, subject to adherence with the relevant code of practice."

Responding to Galway TD Noel Grealish, Mr Smyth said that local authorities had the "full support" of the Government.

 "A total of €7.7m has been allocated to local authorities for 2024," Mr Smyth said. "A further €3.8m has been allocated this year to support the enhancement of the role, responsibilities, and staffing complement of the three waste enforcement regional lead authorities, and to support the local authority waste programme co-ordination office. 

"My department has agreed to support these measures in order to position the local authority sector to better respond to emerging and priority enforcement challenges, including tackling the scourge of illegal dumping."

He noted that €750,000 had been provided to an anti-graffiti awareness scheme in 2023, with a similar amount expected to be made available this year. 

Mr Grealish had branded illegal dumping as the "scourge of the countryside, towns, and villages".