Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for taking this debate. Ballymun has been given what can only be described as a bitter pill to swallow in the recent Irish Business Against Litter, IBAL, report on littering. Ballymun is not unique when it comes to having litter and illegal dumping problems. Across the city, illegal dumping and littering have become a major problem, as they have nationally. The damning report from IBAL does not do justice to the considerable amount of work being done by local residents, community groups, Ballymun TidyTowns and Dublin City Council and its personnel. In fact, many residents in Ballymun deserve recognition and commendation for the hard work and dedication they have shown in improving their area and the quality of life for the people there. Communities and residents in many parts of Ballymun have transformed their environment and great credit is due to them. The IBAL report does not reflect the work being done by such dedicated and conscientious people.

It is clear that we have a serious problem with illegal dumping and littering. It should also be clear that the report identifies a particular area of Ballymun that has long been a bone of contention, that being the shopping centre where the report has stated much of the illegal dumping and littering has taken place. The vacant shopping centre site is located on Main Street and was once at the heart of Ballymun and its community. Now, this derelict site is an eyesore that greets people as they drive into or otherwise enter Ballymun.

Since the privatisation of Dublin City Council's bin services, illegal dumping has escalated to the point where, despite the use of private companies, combatting the problem is costing the council substantial amounts of money. In 2018, Dublin City Council spent €1.16 million cleaning up illegal dumping. That was on top of the money paid to private companies. It is unfortunate that so large a sum of money has to be spent in such a manner. Without the scourge of illegal dumping, that money could have contributed to community projects instead.

We have repeatedly called on Dublin City Council to increase the frequency of street cleaning and road sweeping. Currently, these functions are at the discretion of a supervisor or inspector, follow a complaint or are carried out where a road or street needs cleaning. This leads to a lack of consistency. Clearly, the system is not workable in many areas. We need to return to a system of consistent weekly cleaning of roads and streets.

The ill-judged decision to remove litter bins from roads, streets, parks and shops has led to increased littering in many areas across the whole city. When an area has a littering problem, it is disheartening for many people in the community. People in Ballymun do not want to live like this. They are as passionate about the environment as anyone else. The Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun is an example of recycling at its best. It is also an example of the community's commitment to the betterment of the local area. The Rediscovery Centre, which is unique in Europe, places Ballymun at the centre of environmental awareness. Many local schools are actively involved with the centre, which teaches a new generation about the responsibilities and benefits of looking after the local community and the environment. People need to be educated at an early stage and at an early age.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I agree with him that this problem is caused by a relatively small minority of people whose behaviour does not do justice to the many communities that are making considerable efforts in this regard, as is Dublin City Council. I represent similar areas that are afflicted in the same way. It is important that the implications of this survey are taken seriously by those responsible. As the Deputy has indicated, Dublin City Council has primary responsibility for this issue. I am responsible for providing the legal framework within which it operates. To be fair to the council, with which I am familiar, it had a litter plan that ran from 2016 to 2018. I am sure it is in the course of being renewed. The council has an active litter warden service and operates a system of fines. Anyone who examines the statistics will be disappointed to see the rate of payment of fines and the level of success in prosecuting those involved.

I think the Deputy is right when he says that everyone needs to look at the detailed findings in the report. As he has said, the findings relate to several particular locations and the illegal dumping was not confined to those who do not accept their responsibility to use the collection service. Some of this is random. Coffee cups and cans are thrown away carelessly. As the Deputy has confirmed, there is evidence that some of the litter that was identified was very old, which suggests that areas had not been swept for a long time. It is important for Dublin City Council to sit down with the community to look at how improvements can be made.

We provide support for awareness campaigns in schools. We fund the green schools initiative and the anti-graffiti awareness schemes. Local authorities can apply for funds. In addition, I have increased the budget for our anti-dumping initiative by 50%, to over €3 million, this year. Applications from the various local authorities had to be received by the end of April. I hope the city council, which is aware of the difficulties in a number of parts of the city, has made submissions to tackle this problem. I am familiar with the street sweeping approach. The Deputy is correct when he says this happens infrequently. Nonetheless, the council seeks to respond to individual complaints when it receives requests for street sweeping on the fixyourstreet.ieplatform.

While the issues raised by the Deputy are disappointing - I can understand his frustration - there is an opportunity for us to develop a multi-agency approach to these matters that involves the community and some of the regional and national enforcement authorities that are seeking to target illegal dumping, in particular, this year. I am wholly sympathetic to the Deputy's concerns. I think reports like this can act as a spur to improvements. The overall picture depicted in this report is one of improvement. Some areas that have been found wanting in the past have improved their performances significantly by working together. I hope the same improvements can be achieved in respect of Ballymun.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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It is clear that there is pride in the community of Ballymun. Those who litter or dump illegally strike at the very heart of the community. There are many reasons for the litter problem in Ballymun. I have outlined a number of them. There are many reasons to be proud of Ballymun. There is a great community spirit and sense of community there. This report, which is negative about Ballymun, does not reflect on the many positive aspects of the area. The problem is not insolvable. It will require actions and determinations from the council working with the community. When I was a councillor, refuse was collected far more frequently. A planned timetable was put in place to ensure each area and each street received a refuse collection service on a weekly basis. The situation across the entire city has deteriorated since we moved away from that approach. We have stepped backwards from putting bins into parks and in front of shops. They have been taken away in certain areas because people were dumping large quantities of rubbish in them. That step backwards has helped to increase the amount of litter and illegal stuff thrown around the place across Ballymun and other areas. It is clear that the privatisation of the service in Dublin City Council has not worked. When the city council was in charge, we did not have the problems we have now. Those problems have escalated since the city council service was privatised. Dublin City Council is paying extra money on top of that. The Minister has put in extra money as well. The private services are there. The Minister is putting money in. Dublin City Council and the Minister are making top-up payments. The situation has deteriorated over the years nonetheless. I think it is mad. We should consider the possibility of returning this service to the control of local authorities.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I simply cannot agree with the Deputy's final point. Nothing in this report suggests there are deficiencies in the way litter is being collected or bins are being emptied. The report indicates that people are failing to use the weekly collection facilities. A small minority of people seem to be systematically dumping in areas where they can get away with it. That has nothing to do with the efficiency of bin lorries or segregation. Perhaps it indicates that some people do not understand the system and are not operating it properly. In a small minority of cases, people are not willing to co-operate. I agree with the Deputy that the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun is a fantastic phenomenon. It emphasises prevention, reuse and recycling, which must be at the heart of our strategy. There must be an effective collection service that is used by people in an informed way. We need to see the collectors helping people to use their services more often and in a better and more informed manner. Dublin City Council is responsible for enforcement and effectiveness in this area. I think the council should consider these issues as it formulates its litter plan for 2019 and beyond. To give the council its due, we are seeing improvements in several parts of the city. This problem is not a universal one. The city council is not in the corner being pointed at. It has had many successes as well. Perhaps it is a question of refocusing on particular areas that have difficulty, such as Ballymun. In my own area, parts of Coolock are suffering from the same sorts of problems.