Call for checks on households not availing of waste collection services
Councillors at the Dungarvan Lismore meeting this week called for checks to be made in relation to illegal dumping in cases where households were not availing of a waste collection service.
After highlighting dumping in the Glenshelane woods in which locals went out to clear and managed to collect 8 bags of rubbish, Councillor John Pratt queried as to whether the council were ‘checking up on people’.
“I want to thank the volunteers who are locals themselves that picked up the rubbish and to be fair, I contacted the council and they agreed to collect the bags. It was eight bags of rubbish they picked up inside in a beautiful scenic area, Glenshelane. It is a fantastic amenity and to see that happening it is disgraceful. It’s a shame that we have to be in this situation,” Cllr Pratt said.
He then went on to ask whether the council has the authority to check that householders are availing of waste collection services and are paying for bins.
“There are certain estates in every town and village where there’s probably not even a bin provider going in and out and it just beggars belief. They need to show proof and I know we are limited, but I would ask that we do that a little more extensively if possible,” Cllr Pratt added.
Cllr Conor D McGuinness also asked if the council had the ability to access data on the matter and cross-check it with a list of households in the area.
“That’s a surefire way because we all generate rubbish, no matter how committed we are to reducing, reusing and recycling,” he said.
Environmental Officer for Waterford City and County Council Ray Moloney, told the council that environmental inspectors are ‘not confined to desks’ and are carrying out patrols ‘all day every day’.
He added that checks are carried out under the presentation of waste bye-laws where people are asked how they dispose of their waste, and evidence of this can also be sought.
“We continue to do that. However, there are some constraints at the moment in relation to Covid because generally that’s done on a door to door basis,” Mr Moloney said.
Recent weeks also saw images of dumping shared online by Waterford City and County Council, receive national media attention.
The topic of these images was raised by Cllr Thomas Phelan which saw queries put to the council in relation to their investigations into cases of illegal dumping and whether any ‘concrete leads’ were found, especially in relation to two cases publicised by the council on social media.
INFORMATION BEING FOLLOWED UP
Cllr McGuinness also commented on the publicising of illegal dumping in the Dungarvan Lismore area, noting that the sharing of these images incites a level of ‘public anger and disquiet’ on the matter. However, he noted that the council needs to ‘be careful’.
“Not only is it deeply unpleasant for people who live close to or happen upon illegal dumping, not only is it incredibly wrong and anti-social, not only is it illegal, but it also has reputational damage for our town and our local authority,” Cllr McGuinness said.
Environmental Officer Ray Moloney said that the council ‘don’t publicise those (images) lightly’.
In relation to the incident which gained national media attention, Mr Moloney said: “This was an attempt to try and highlight it and gain some information in relation to who may have been responsible for this dumping and, as a result of that, we have received some information and that information is being followed up.”
Mr Moloney also outlined three instances of illegal dumping in the area which the council followed up on and issued fines, one of which saw a fine issued to a County Cork address for a case of dumping in the Knockanore area.