Illegal Dumping

Illegal dumping can be defined as the depositing of waste material onto public or private land which has no license to accept waste. The waste type and amount can vary from a single black bag of domestic rubbish to truck loads of rubbish.
The depositing of large amounts of rubbish is usually associated with isolated rural areas. Invariably these locations are situation in some of the most beautiful, scenic and frequented areas of our country. Locations that are prone to illegal dumping are affected both on a visual and environmental level. The disposal of rubbish in any area of land without approval, permission, or which does not has a waste license is illegal and a criminal offence, punishable by fines from €150 up to €10 million upon conviction and 10 years imprisonment, or both.

One of the major problems in relation to illegal dumping/fly-tipping is householders and businesses handing over their waste to unauthorised door-to-door waste collectors. Before handing over waste, all householders/businesses should insist on seeing a valid Waste Collection Permit issued by their relevant Local Authority. Unlicensed waste collectors will dump your waste in woodlands, on a mountain side, by a river, or in some other scenic area, possibly even in your own neighbourhood.

If a waste collector cannot provide a legitimate permit,
DO NOT HAND OVER YOUR WASTE, OR YOU TOO ARE BREAKING THE LAW.
To insure that your rubbish is not dumped in the landscape all waste should be disposed of properly in authorised bins/bags and left out for a prearranged waste collection or brought to the landfill.

Under the Waste Management Act, responsibility and ownership of waste remains with the householder until this material is collected by an authorised waste collector. Simply, this means that if a bin, bag, skip, or any type of container that holds waste is left out for collection, the owner is responsible until it is collected.

Hazardous Waste

A considerable amount of the waste that we put in our bins is actually hazardous material. These bins eventually end up in our landfill sites. To avoid hazardous materials entering into landfill sites store the items safely until your relevant local authority advertises their Household Hazardous Waste Collection. (See below for examples of hazardous waste materials).

Hazardous Waste Materials

PAINTS AND SOLVENTS; BATTERIES; FLUORESCENT TUBES; FERTILISERS; PESTICIDES & POISONS; WASTE MEDICINES; ADHESIVES; INKS AND RESINS; CAUSTIC SODA AND WASTE OILDRAIN CLEANERS; CLEANING AGENTS AND DETERGENTS AEROSOLS;PHOTGRAPHIC CHEMICALS; OVEN CLEANERS; SHOE POLISHES, ETC.

End of Live Vehicles (ELV)

From January 2007 the End of Live Vehicles (ELV) directive was introduced. With this introduction the public can bring their vehicle to any authorised treatment facility FREE OF CHARGE. Here all vehicles are dismantled and depolluted and the owner is provided with a certificate of destruction. This new directive will reduce the amount of vehicles which are deposited in the upland areas, many of which are burnt-out and cause enormous damage to our environment.

Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive, (WEEE)

Under the government’s Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive, (WEEE), your local re-cycling centre will also accept all your old electrical appliances FREE OF CHARGE. Fridges, washing machines, cookers, TV’s and various other electrical equipments can be left into recycling centres where they are decontaminated and disassembled, with no cost to the public.

Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive

For further information on Waste Collections and Authorised Waste Collectors, Household Hazardous Waste Collections, End of Live Vehicles (ELV), Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive, (WEEE), Recycling Centres, Specialised Waste Collectors, ( i.e. Tyres, Asbestos etc.), contact your local authority at the below details.

Wicklow Waste Aware: Tel 1890 22 22 76
South Dublin County Council: Tel 01 4149000
Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council: Tel 01 2054700
Dublin City Council: Tel 01 2222222