FUNDING of €39,893 has been allocated to Limerick for a targeted crackdown on illegal dumping blackspots across the county.
Fine Gael Senator for Limerick City, Maria Byrne, this week welcomed the announcement from the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD.
The clean up of sites, signage as well as the installation of CCTV cameras and better enforcement and prosecution across Limerick will now form a central part of this year’s crackdown.
“The illegal dumping of rubbish is an issue that plagues both our rural countryside and our urban areas. It’s a source of embarrassment to the people across Limerick who work all year round to keep their communities tidy,” Senator Byrne commented.
“I have previously called on the Minister Naughten to increase the amount of funding available to Limerick City and County Council after a Irish Business Against Litter survey showed Thomondgate was the only place to receive a cleaner than European Norms grade while Limerick City received a moderately littered grade with Galvone receiving a seriously littered grade.”
Senator Byrne also pointed out that a number of Local Authorities around Ireland have installed CCTV operations in known litter blackspots, but not all authorities have the required finance to do so.
“A good example of how CCTV can work is the approach of Dublin City Council in the North Inner City. The Council released 12 CCTV stills and erected them on a wall at Frankfort Cottages near the Five Lamps in Dublin.
“At present, if a Local Authority can establish who owns material that has been illegally dumped, a fixed penalty notice is issued to the person. If they fail to pay this, they are then taken to court and prosecuted for illegal dumping. We have a number of deterrents already in place, and yet we still see illegal dumping on the rise and plaguing local authorities nationwide.”
The deadline for applications is Friday March 2 and further information on the 2018 anti-dumping initiative is available from the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities and from the Environment Section of Limerick City and County Council.
by Alan Jacques
