Instead of expensive measures like drones being put forward to combat illegal dumping, politician should instead focus on the causes of illegal dumping.
This is the view of People Before Profit Galway spokesperson Adrian Curran [pictured below], who was responding to a recent call by Fianna Fáil Galway City East councillor, Alan Cheevers, for City Hall to adopt a more radical policy to combat the problem, following a spike in illegal dumping in the Ballybane area in recent weeks.
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Cllr Cheevers called on the Galway City Council to look at introducing drone technology and cameras, as well as introducing increased fines and prosecutions, for those carrying out such activity.
'Privatisation is the problem'
While Mr Curran agreed that illegal dumping is a "serious ongoing problem in parts of Galway", he said attention has been too focused on "methods of catching the culprits, without addressing the causes of the issue". He said that the privatisation of bin collection has made it more expensive for people and this is what has led to an increase in illegal dumping.
Mr Curran said "prevention was better than the cure" and that bin collection should be taken out of the hands of private companies and instead returned to the State's local governments, and paid for through general taxation. He also argued that providing this service through general taxation would, long term, save the State money. As an example he cited how, in the first quarter of 2019, Dublin City Council had to spend €297,464 on collecting illegally dumped waste.
