Door-to-door survey sought to combat Co Kerry dumping

A door-to-door survey is being sought in Co Kerry to stem the rise in illegal dumping in the county.

Illegal dumping is on the rise in the county, with rubbish is being left in bogs, woodlands, tourist areas and remote rural areas.

A problem has emerged with some of the council’s 98 bring-banks and extra security cameras are being installed to monitor the sites to identify people leaving household waste at the recyclable centres. Known littering black-spots are also being monitored.

At the Kerry County Council annual budget meeting, councillors said hiking the cost of waste disposal charges at council sites could tip the scales further in favour of fly-tipping. The cost of disposing a bag of refuse is due to rise by fifty cent to €4.50.

To date in 2016, some 557 cases of illegal dumping have been investigated under the Litter Pollution Act in Co Kerry, with 59 on-the-spot fines issued.

Fine Gael councillor Bobby O'Connell is seeking "a door-to-door survey" asking people what they do with their rubbish. He said this was a less costly alternative to other dumping-prevention measures.

“If you don’t have a bin, you should be able to explain what you are doing with your rubbish. If you say you are taking it to the transfer station, then produce the receipt,” said Mr O’Connell.

“This is the premier tourist county in Ireland. I am calling for the names of those people who are fined for dumping to be published,” he said. .

Maintaining the landfill site Muignaminnane near Tralee will cost over half a million euro in 2017 with a similar sum on loan charges for the licensed site.

Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae called for Muignaminnane to be re-opened. Kerry county chief executive Moira Murrell said landfills, closed or open, incurred costs.

Leachate management, to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence requirement, had cost the council 300,000 euro in 2016, she said.

The EPA is accusing Kerry County Council of a number of breaches of leachate control and other emissions regulations and eight summonses have been issued by the EPA against the council over their management of the site, the District Court in Tralee was told last week.

The summonses accuse the council of failing to comply with conditions of the its industrial emissions licence in April and July of 2015.

The matter has been adjourned.