Cameras will be introduced in Dublin and Wicklow mountains to stop dumping

Published by Laurie Manetta on

November 1st, 2016

Illegal dumping rise is not only an urban issue. Flytipping is common around our towns, villages and in rural areas adjacent to cities. This dumping pollutes water sources and damages soil. It is a real threat for species, habitats, and human health.

The Dublin Mountains have a serious dumping problem with people from the city driving there to get rid of rubbish. One recent clean-up in Kiltegan removed more than 12 tonnes of waste.

One measure being introduced to tackle this growing problem is night vision cameras. These devices are being set up in vulnerable areas such as parking areas in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. They will allow local authorities to monitor dumping areas day and night and capture the car registrations of illegal dumpers.

Fly tipping dropped significantly although fines can begin at €150 and go to €3,000 on conviction in the District Court.

One previous effort to tackle this was launched in September 2006 it is called Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (Pure). It has to date removed 3,000 tonnes of litter.

This pilot project involves three local authorities (Wicklow County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and South Dublin County Council) to combat the phenomenon by informing, alarming and removing wastes. The project created a baseline data on dumping patterns, besides the fact that all dumping incidents are recorded on a GPS database system. However, according to the Pure Project Director Ian Davis, the amount of wastes collected this year in the region is about 230 tonnes and continues climbing.

This tendency costs for communities as the department of Environment provided €90,000 last year.

In Dublin City, the council has already used CCTV and published photographs of people dumping. The cost of illegal dumping in 2015 was around €640,000 according to the council.

[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/dumping-cctv-to-monitor-dublin-and-wicklow-hills-1.2849831″ info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Click here to find out more about the introduction of night vision cameras[/x_button]

[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://www.pureproject.ie/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Click here to find out more about the Pure project[/x_button]

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Laurie Manetta

Laurie is a contributor to the Green News. She is currently undertaking a Master's Degree in Environmental Policy at Sciences PO Grenoble in France.