More that 180 incidents of illegal dumping and fly-tipping in Galway were made to a hotline set up by the Environmental Protection Agency over the past four years.
Statistics from the EPA show that there were 5,588 calls made nationally reporting incidents of illegal dumping and fly-tipping since the dedicated phone line was set up in May 2006, with almost 500 in the past four months. One in four (1,426 ) were made in Dublin, followed by 1,167 calls made in Wicklow, 626 in Cork, 273 in Wexford, and 184 in Galway.
Figures received from the EPA further reveal that in Galway 23 calls alone were made between January and December 2009. Nine related to fly-tipping, where 20 bags of rubbish or less were dumped, four calls related to burning of waste, another four was for illegal dumping, where more that 20 bags of waste were dumped, while one call reported an incident of illegal landfill where the contents of more that one tippertruck was buried in a field. Other calls related to abandoned vehicles, litter, and illegal waste collection or transport.
This year to date (January to August 2010 ) the number of calls for Galway stands at 15. Again, fly-tipping, where 20 bags of rubbish or less were dumped, was the main offence with five calls, followed by four calls of illegal dumping, where more that 20 bags were dumped. Other offences were burning of waste (2 ), illegal landfill (2 ), illegal waste collection/transport (1 ), and litter (1 ).
The EPA has said that nationally it had recorded an increase in fly-tipping incidents since the recession and that dumping was increasing in areas where pay-by-weight system bills was in place.
EPA spokesperson Jim Moriarty said that the issue of illegal dumping in the countryside was particularly problematic. He said that pay-by-weight areas tended to show increased rates of illegal dumping. However, Mr Moriarty added that more inspections are being done and the capture rate is also up with 120 waste-enforcement officers deployed across the country as well as litter inspectors in local authorities. Other enforcement measure being implemented include the use of helicopters to identify sites, an increase in vehicles being stopped and searched, and the use of CCTV cameras.
Regarding one call made in Galway, Mr Moriarty said that the EPA got a tip that truckloads of waste were being dumped down a lane and the operator is now due to face prosecution in the courts where a fine of up to €3,000 and payments of costs could be imposed. More serious matters on indictment could result in a fine of €15 million and up to 10 years in jail.
