A phone line to Report Illegal Dumping
A phone-line 1800 365 123, operating 24 hours a day 365 days of the year, allows any member of the public to report incidents of illegal dumping, or, individuals who are responsible for such activities. Callers are urged to provide accurate descriptions of both the location and waste type to the operators, and all calls are dealt with in strict confidence. Feedback on a location affected by dumping can be requested and Pure endeavours to contact each caller who leaves their name and details with an update on the situation. Since the establishment of Pure, the project has received over 16,000 reports of illegal dumping. Each report/complaint received is investigated by the relevant Local Authority.
Pure Truck
We then send out the Pure Truck to remove the material from the landscape. This insures a more effective clean-up response time to incidents of illegal dumping resulting in a swift removal of illegal dumping from the landscape. Research has demonstrated that a prompt removal of illegal dumping reduces further dumping in an area. Since the establishment of Pure, the project has removed over 3,960 tonnes (3,960,000kg) of illegal dumping from the landscape.
GPS/GIS data base
The Pure Project is the first project of its kind in Ireland to record all incidents of illegal dumping by GPS. This information is transferred to a GIS data-base system which provides comprehensive information on; date of collection, time of collection, location of dumping, landowner, type of waste dumped, amount/size of dumping located at the site, etc. The data-base also allows for the recording of dumped Electrical Waste (WEEE Material) and the specific type of WEEE Material collected from the site. The GPS unit also enables the user to take a photograph of the site. From 2007 to end of 2018 Pure recorded over 14,800 collections from the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands, creating a base-line data on illegal dumping activity in Wicklow/Dublin uplands, which is invaluable information in combating, preventing and alleviating illegal dumping.
CCTV
To assist in the identification and prosecution of illegal dumpers, Pure install covert CCTV equipment in the upland region.
Primary Schools Teachers’ Pack
An education programme, designed for primary schools entitled, ‘Primary Schools Teachers’ Pack’ was officially launched in 2008. This education pack provides teachers with a user friendly teaching programme, incorporating fun and interesting ways for children to learn about their environment and the negative impact of illegal dumping. The education pack was designed to accompany the current primary school curriculum and was distributed to all schools in Wicklow, South Dublin and Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown regions. All of the educational material can be downloaded and is available free of charge in the Education section on this website.
Pure Animation
Pure Animation (Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown) Pure SOUTH Animation and Pure Wicked (Wicklow) is a two week environmental/animation training programme for teenagers, (12 to 16 years of age), that introduces students/participants to important environmental issues relevant to Pure, e.g., illegal dumping, litter, recycling, pollution, etc. Participants explore environmental issues through the medium of animation and with the guidance of professional animators students will be given an opportunity to learn how to produce, direct and create their own short environmental animated films.
Pure Music
Pure Music Environmental Training Programme is a two day environmental/music training programme for teenagers (13 to 18 years old) introducing participants to important environmental issues that are related to the Project, e.g., illegal dumping, litter, fly-tipping, recycling, pollution, environment and community. Participants learn about song writing, music composition and music production, culminating in the creation and recording of an original song. The song also includes an accompanying music video documenting the students’ progression during the training programme, e.g., concept development stages, lyric writing, rehearsals, performance, and recording session. All songs and music videos are made available on www.pureproject.ie.
Pure Theatre
Pure Theatre Environmental Training Programme is an initiative of the Pure (Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments) Project and is funded by Pure. The training programme was designed for teenagers; (13 to 18 years of age) and introduces students/participants to important environmental issues that are related to the Pure Project, e.g., illegal dumping, litter, fly-tipping, recycling, pollution, environment and community, all through the medium of theatre. This training programme is for a maximum of 10/20 students, ideally suited to a secondary school drama class or secondary school TY group. All the school needs to provide is the venue for the training programme, all other aspects are supplied by Pure.
Community Initiatives/Public Awareness
The Pure Mile is an environmental community initiative which fosters a greater appreciation and awareness of our country roadscapes by rewarding and acknowledging local community efforts. Pure also designs a Pure Mile Calendar which depicts images from the communities and areas of County Wicklow who participated in the Pure Mile Competition. The calendar is a visual representation of the works carried out by the Pure Mile groups. It also demonstrates the scenic and aesthetic areas of Wicklow and is a perfect example of what the countryside should look like, i.e. clean and litter free. The calendar depicts the natural and built heritage, views from the areas, litter free roads, and the general aesthetic beauty of the areas and is photographed by a professional photographer.
Pure P.R. and Media
The Pure Project has featured on numerous national television programmes, including, RTE documentary series ‘Heated’, RTE’s environmental programmes, ‘Eco-eye’ and ‘Ear to the Ground’, and on Sky News Ireland. The project has also featured on RTE News at Six, RTE News at Nine, RTE Prime Time Special on illegal dumping in Ireland, and on a number of TV3 specials, including The Morning Show, and a TV3 one-hour special programme investigating illegal dumping in Ireland entitled, ‘Ireland’s Litter Louts’.
The project has also featured in regional and national newspapers, including, Wicklow People, Wicklow Times, Wicklow News, Wicklow Voice, Tallaght Echo, Southside People, Kildare News, Irish Times, Irish Independent, Evening Herald, The Star, The Sunday World, Irish Examiner, and in many regional and national Radio Stations, including, East-Coast Radio, Tallaght FM, Dublin FM, Cork 96 FM, Clare FM, Kildare FM, RTE, Newstalk, and Today FM. You can keep up to date on all press releases and media updates on the Pure Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Pureproject.ie/