The prevalence of persistence local authority household waste dumping is one of vast concern and cost to Westmeath County Council, Town Mayor, Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, stated to the Athlone Advertiser this week.
"For a number of years, I have been requesting the Council to conduct unannounced, random house to house inspections in a bid to tackle the ever increasing problem of certain individuals dumping their weekly household waste in public areas which then has to be cleaned up by the local authority.
"This problem has become more prevalent in recent times, costing Westmeath County Council a substantial amount of money to clean up with each passing year.
"In mid-2019 we passed the necessary by-laws which now allows Westmeath County Council staff to visit private or local authority houses and ask the residents for evidence that they use lawful means to dispose of their household waste.
"Individuals may use registered and licensed waste disposal companies or they may take their waste to recycling centres. In each case receipts are provided and when asked at the time of an inspection they must produce this receipt as valid proof.
"I have always made the case that in carrying out these random visits to homes, word would spread very quickly and people, without doubt will change their habits, or face a fine. Those found to have unsatisfactory waste disposal methods will face a €75 fixed penalty notice, or fines of up to €2,500 upon conviction. In local authority houses, persistent offenders could face more serious sanctions," Cllr O'Rourke remarked.
The Town Mayor is of the view that the reinforcement of resources in this regard will prove a worthy investment by the local authority.
"While it will take resources to carry out the inspections, it will be an investment well made. Today, the Council spends a substantial amount cleaning up after those who dump their household rubbish.
"With an established house to house inspection routine in place I have no doubt that there will be a marked decrease in the rubbish that the council will have to clean up, thus saving significant sums of money.
"One of the ways that we can identify the households 'outside the system', is to use eircodes, and that is one of the measures I have asked the Council to consider. So you would obtain eircodes from waste operators and that in turn will help us to cross reference.
"Inspections should then be carried out at houses that are not registered with the licensed waste collectors. In the coming months, when public health restrictions are lifted, Council staff will commence the task of visiting houses on a random basis.
"You have to prove you have a TV licence, and now you have to prove you have a bin service or are responsibly managing the waste that you are creating.
"I hope and expect that these new measures will root out the dumpers and those who burn their waste, while at the same time encourage people to recycle on a more regular basis," the Town Mayor concluded.
