Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Illegal dumping is a matter of individual responsibility and compliance with the law. While enforcement action in this area is a matter for local authorities, my Department encourages a multifaceted approach to tackling the problem, incorporating enforcement, public awareness and education. As such, it provides funding to support the activities of the waste enforcement regional lead authorities of approximately €1 million per annum and of the network of local authority waste enforcement officers of approximately €7.4 million per annum.

In addition, my Department has developed the anti-dumping initiative to work in partnership with local authorities and community organisations in identifying high-risk or problem areas, developing appropriate enforcement responses, and carrying out clean-up operations. Since 2017, funding of €3.3 million has been made available from the environment fund in this regard, which has supported more than 400 projects in all 31 local authority areas, remediating blackspots, and equipping local authority enforcement officers with the latest technologies available to support enforcement of our waste laws.

See this speech in context