Laois fly tippers beware - CCTV set to tackle dumpers of 315 tonnes of illegal waste

Mobile cameras to tackle illegal dumping could be switched on again in Laois shortly which in the process will allow Laois County Council to fly tipping which reached 315 tonnes in Laois last year.

The latest progress on the lifting of a suspension of cameras was given to Laois Offaly TD Brian Stanley in the Dáil. He asked the Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan when the relevant section of the Circular Economy Bill will be enacted to allow local authorities to use CCTV camera to stop illegal dumping of waste.

Mr Ryan replied that as required under the legislation, the three draft Codes of Practice allowing for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant use of CCTV technology under both the Waste Management Act and the Litter Pollution Act and for the use of mobile recording devices under the Waste Management Act were submitted to him by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) for approval last December. He said formally approved these Codes within two days.

"The final step in the process is to commence the relevant provisions of the Act. The Commencement Order is currently being drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) and it is expected that this will be signed shortly. This will then allow local authorities to begin planning for the use of CCTV and other mobile recording devices in their efforts to tackle litter and illegal dumping,’’ Minister Ryan informed Dep Stanley.

The Sinn Féin TD looked forward to the resumption of use.

"Councils were using CCTV cameras up to a few years ago to counter illegal dumping across Laois / Offaly. However, when new GDPR regulations came into place this had to be ceased until new legislation was enacted.

"Since then, widespread dumping of waste has taken place across the constituency, some of this has been on a commercial scale. Local communities along with councils in Laois / Offaly then has to clean it up. Regrettably, a lot of this waste is recyclable and could have been disposed of by the perpetrators at little or no cost.

"The fact that local authorities had their hands tied and prevented from using CCTV type devices has been very frustrating for residents’ groups and people living in rural areas. It has also put additional costs on councils to remove the waste.

"I look forward to councils being able to erect cameras to stamp out dumping," said the TD.

Laois County Council's CEO John Mulholland told councillors in January this year that 315 tonnes of illegally dumped waste had to be collected by the local authority in 2023. There were over 800 complaints about waste management and litter while 82 litter fines were issued during the year.

He said licensed waste collectors were obliged to provide all households with a food and garden waste service from December 2023. Such collectors must also keep records of customers who do not avail of such bins and that these records be made available to the local authority.