Written answers

Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Illegal Dumping

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

226. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions being considered by his Department to tackle the spike in illegal dumping and littering; and if he will consider amending the Litter Pollution Act 1997 as amended by the Waste Management Act 2001 and the Protection of the Environment Act 2003 to include a name-and-shame approach which would allow local authorities to publicly name all offenders who have been successfully issued with dumping or littering fines. [14402/21]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department continues to work closely with both the EPA and the Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities (WERLAs) through the National Waste Enforcement Steering Committee to ensure that the legislation in place is robust and effective in assisting enforcement efforts. The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy published in September 2020 contains a range of actions designed to enhance existing litter and waste enforcement activity. These include:

- an enhanced role for the WERLAs,

- the development of an anti-dumping toolkit for use by local authorities,

- the development of an illegal and unauthorised sites action plan to assist local authorities,

- greater use of fixed penalty notices,

- data-proofing of waste legislation to facilitate use of available and emerging technologies in a GDPR-compliant manner;

- a new national communications and education programme

- a deposit and return scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans.

These will build on existing actions to combat littering and illegal dumping, such as the Anti-Litter and Anti-Graffiti Awareness Grant Scheme and the Anti-Dumping Initiative. Last year €3m was allocated to local authorities in support of the Anti-Dumping Initiative. This funding supported over 300 projects nationwide during 2020, including a national anti-dumping awareness communications campaign, "Your Country - Your Waste", which I launched in November 2020.My Department also supports local authorities and Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authorities through the annual Local Authority Waste Enforcement Measures Grant Scheme, which supports the recruitment and retention of over 150 local authority waste enforcement personnel.

In relation to the issue of “naming and shaming”, the Data Protection Commissioner indicated to my Department in 2010 that actions taken by local authorities in publishing the names and addresses of persons fined as a result of littering or illegal dumping, whether by publication on their websites or by notices published in the local press and paid for by the local authority, were in breach of the principles of data protection. The issue was examined in some detail by officials in my Department at that time. Accordingly, I currently have no plans to introduce such an approach.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.