Spy cameras to catch dumpers
Tipperary Co Council is this month deploying CCTV cameras at six locations in a bid to deter illegal dumping.
The council has been trying to find new ways of tackling what it describes as a “phenomenon of increasing concern”. CCTV surveillance has previously been proposed but ran into difficulties over data protection.
Now the council has advertised a surveillance project at selected locations, which are to be monitored continuously for a period of four weeks. The move has been welcomed by local councillor John Carroll, who hoped the cameras would catch offenders in the act of illegal dumping and lead to their successful prosecution.
“The phenomenon of indiscriminate dumping of waste (principally household waste), which is occurring on a continuous basis throughout County Tipperary, is detrimental to the environment and leads to pollution and the creation of a health hazard,” the council stated in introducing the CCTV project.
“The phenomenon manifests itself at various locations, including at the suite of bring centres operated by the Environment and Climate Action Section of Tipperary County Council. This indiscriminate dumping at bring centres is a phenomenon of increasing concern to Tipperary County Council in its role as a waste enforcement authority.”
‘SUB-OPTIMAL’ SUCCESS
“Various measures have been taken to address this issue,” the council stated, “including public awareness initiatives and waste and litter enforcement, with sub-optimal levels of success. Having regard to its experience to date, Tipperary County Council is now of the view that the installation of CCTV surveillance is required.”
The council is proposing to introduce surveillance at five specified bottle bank locations and one rural bog area. Cllr Carroll said the locations were chosen because they have been used as illegal dumping grounds.
The locations include Showerbog at Annaholty, Nenagh and Cloughjordan’s bring bank site. The council said signage would be erected to alert service users about the existence of cameras. It was envisaged that surveillance would commence “in or about September 2026”.
“This project aims to assess the effectiveness of CCTV surveillance in capturing evidence of illegal dumping and littering,” the council stated. A professional CCTV contractor would be engaged to install and monitor the cameras. A Data Protection Impact Assessment has been prepared as part of the project.
The council is inviting public submissions or observations on the project.
‘PAY THE PRICE’
On-the-spot litter fines increased from €150 to €250 from September 1. This can rise up to €3,000 if an offender is convicted in the district court.
While he welcomed the spot fine increase, Cllr Carroll described it as “not half enough”. He hoped the council’s new CCTV initiative would result in offenders being brought before the courts and prove an effective solution to a growing problem locally.
“The erection of cameras at appropriate locations around the community will be a deterrence, and these people, if they continue to persist, they’ll pay the price,” Cllr Carroll said.
“There is no excuse in this day and age,” he added, pointing to the number of services that have been set up to help people dispose of waste safely. The state should not have to plough so much expenditure into waste enforcement, Cllr Carroll opined.
“Anyone who dumps rubbish on someone’s doorstep or property is a lowlife; I won’t call them anything else. All they’re doing is taking money from their own pockets,” he said.
“We have a beautiful county, beautiful community and a huge amount of people are engaging to enhance it in every way but there’s a tiny minority that just won’t get their act together. We’re making that appeal to them now – just row in with everybody else and be proud of your local community and county. Dispose of your refuse safely. It’s not a big job of work.”