The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Using illegal waste collectors? Then prepare for hefty penalties
IF you’re getting someone to dump your rubbish make sure they have a waste permit - as you are ultimately responsible for its disposal.
That’s the simple message from Kerry County Council this week as the Authority launches a new campaign against fly-tippers destroying the Kerry environment.
The Council said it traced ‘several incidents’ of illegal dumping back to unauthorised waste collectors this year, who had taken the rubbish for a fee from people who either didn’t care or failed to ask to see their waste permit.
But even with the unauthorised middleman, the Council has managed to track rubbish back to its place of origin. Litter wardens ultimately fined a number of householders in relation to the incidents they successfully probed earlier in the year.
“People involved in the collection of waste are required to have a waste collection permit. This ensures that they are responsible and that the waste is going to an authorised waste facility,” Mayor of Kerry Norma Foley explained this week.
Householders, who may be acting unwittingly and with the best of intentions, have a legal obligation to only give their waste to an authorised collector, she said.
“Waste is anything you discard, whether it has a value or not. Unfortunately, unauthorised waste collectors often engage in illegal dumping, but it is the householder who is responsible if their waste is disposed of illegally and the waste is traced back them,” Mayor Foley.
Environmental Awareness Officer with Kerry County Council, Oonagh O’Connor advised people to always ask to see a permit:
“Before you give waste to anyone, ask to see their waste collection permit. This permit will show a list of the waste types the contractor is allowed to carry. Check that the waste you are disposing of is on this list.”