A plethora of measures to ensure environmental compliance in the county is being enforced with stringent measures by the county’s environmental officers, resulting in numerous prosecutions, fines, and warnings.
Environment enforcement officer with Mayo County Council Liam Rabbitte told committee members of the environmental policy and emergency services SPC at a meeting held in Westport last week that during 2008, more than 2,000 inspections were carried out of both a routine and non-routine nature. Of these statistics, more than 1,200 complaints were made to the freephone number which led to investigation; waste facilities and collection permits were inspected; 11 roadside checkpoints were set up; and random houses were called to in order to inspect the means by which they dispose of their waste.
The roadside checkpoints, which were carried out in conjunction with the RSA, gardaí and Social Welfare, were beneficial in stopping any waste disposal trucks to make sure they were compliant with regulations and, for 2009, 12 or 13 such checkpoints will be carried out through the county — with one just having taken place on Tuesday.
As for ariel surveillance, 73 inspections resulted from just two and a half hours’ helicopter time which cost around €1,500 to €2,000. The eye in the sky allows for EEO’s to clearly monitor compliance with end of life vehicle regulations, illegal burning, or non permitted sites scattered through the county. From last year’s chopper surveillance 16 end of life vehicle sites, four water polluted sites, 31 illegal waste sites, one illegal burning site, and 21 miscellaneous detections were made.
CCTV is being utilised around bottle bank areas, preventing what Mr Rabbitte described as “total madness” when a woman was observed placing a fluorescent lightbulb into one such bank. The EEO explained that 18 fines and 19 warning letters have been sent since the CCTV captured similar incidents and has proven to be a deterrent.
As for prosecutions brought against those who are brought to court for illegal dumping and which have been reported on in the local press, Mr Rabbitte said that Judge Mary Devins “has been very helpful” in her judgements for the recuperation of clean-up costs — something which Ballina councillor Johnnie O’Malley was adamant that the polluter pays and not the taxpayer.
The Fianna Fáil councillor also queried whether landlords are responsible for providing waste facilities for their tenants’ houses and if so the council should be proactive in bringing landlords to court if there is non-compliance. It was explained that if a landlord has in excess of 10 houses then waste facilities should be provided, but otherwise it is whatever agreement is in place between tenant and landlord.
Cllr John O’Malley lashed out at one particular waste collection company which is failing to collect rubbish in the Drummin area as it is not profitable for them to travel there, and asked what the owners of these houses need to do with their rubbish, “burn it?”
Chair of the SPC Cllr Margaret Adams complimented local Tidy Town committees in the county as, through their hard work they are alleviating litter problems, and encouraged all areas to establish such committees.
