Hidden cameras capture 63 incidents of illegal dumping in Kilkenny City

Enforcement proceedings will soon be under way in relation to 63 incidents of illegal dumping caught on hidden camera in Kilkenny City over the last six months.

The shocking footage of people wilfully leaving household refuse and other waste in the streets and lanes of the Medieval city was recorded as part of a ‘significant enforcement operation’ here this year.

It followed a particularly bad spate of illegal dumping in the springtime, where in some cases, mounds of bin bags and waste were dumped next to picturesque tourist hotspots, such as the Black Abbey. Only two years on from Kilkenny winning the overall Tidy Towns crown, the sheer scale of illegal dumping had not been experienced in many years.

Senior executive engineer for Kilkenny County Council, Ken Boland, who lead the new enforcement operation, commended the city’s litter warden on his efforts to pursue litter black spots. Prior to the summer, the primary method of retrieving evidence was to search through dumped rubbish, but evidence was rarely recovered to pursue.

“With funding received from the Government through the 2017 Anti Dumping Initiative it enabled us to contract private CCTV operators with more advanced surveillance methods to target illegal dumping hot spots to record evidence of illegal dumping,”said Mr Boland.

The Enforcement team is currently reviewing the 63 illegal dumping incidences, and the scale of the incidents will determine the course of action taken; to issue a litter fine or take a case to court under the Waste Management Act.

The campaign has also seen Kilkenny County Council going door to door in the city to ask residents how they dispose of their household waste. A multi-lingual leaflet notifies residents of waste disposal options available locally and outlined the upcoming enforcement activities.

Under the Waste Management Act (1996), a county council can request a householder provide such information. The council has said it will be repeating this exercise ‘frequently’, and as such, householders should retain future receipts and information.

If you have any information on illegal dumping or litter, contact the local authority's free litter hotline 1800-200156.