PHOTOS: Dumping hits Laois hospital, creche, bogs and woods

Illegal dumpers have left their waste on the grounds of Shaen hospital and Portarlington creche as well as at bring banks and in bogs and woods throughout the county during October and November.
Some of the waste could have been recycled for free, the Laois County Council CEO has pointed out.
John Mulholland gave an update on the clean-ups done by his Environment crews in the past two months, at the November council meeting.
He said that white goods, such as washing machines and fridges are being dumped.
“People are depositing white goods and there is no need, this is all free at the Civic Amenity Sites. It is wrong under any circumstances but particularly when it’s free,” Mr Mulholland said.
Illegal waste was removed from Shaen Hospital, from a bring bank at Portarlington Creche, from a clothes bank at Rathdowney Shopping Centre and from Crowe Lane Maisonettes in Portarlington.
Other sites cleaned up include three locations in Clonenagh Bog, Tougher Bog Lane, Ballyfin, Hollow in Mountrath and Carn Wood in Stradbally.
Over 1,000 complaints about environmental issues were made to the council to date in 2020.
Almost half of the 1,007 complaints received by mid November were on waste enforcement, 486 in all. Another 241 were about littering.
There were 57 more complaints about abandoned cars, 46 about air pollution, 45 about water pollution, 24 about noise and 24 relating to dead or stray animals.
This year 163 fixed penalty notices were issued for breaches of the Litter Act, 1997.
There were two issued under breaches of Management (storage, presentation and segregation of household and commercial waste) Bye-laws 2018. Another 12 notices were issued relating to the holding, recovery or disposal of waste.
The environment section are also planning to make a number of inspections on households this month to see if they are disposing of their waste correctly.

To report witnessing littering/illegal dumping, phone Laois County Council's Confidential Litter Hotline at 1800-32-32-30, or Laois County Council's Environment Section at 057-8674316.