Council want dumping reported

Council want illegal dumping reported

Anton McNulty

COMMUNITY groups are being encouraged to be vigilant for illegal dumping in their area and to appear as witnesses in court to bring prosecutions against people for such crimes.
At a Strategic Policy Committee meeting on the Environment, it was revealed that since the introduction last April of the National Environmental Complaints System there have been 73 complaints of illegal dumping in Mayo.
A booklet entitled, ‘See Something, Say Something’ has been launched by Mayo County Council which encourages the public to report claims of illegal dumping and advises on how to make the complaints. Complaints can be made by contacting the offices of Mayo County Council, logging onto the Council website or by calling a 24-hour number.
Mr Sean Smith explained that the majority of complaints dealt with litter or waste pollution but the Council also received complaints of abandoned cars and noise and air pollution. He said that once a complaint has been made it is entered into a database with the details recorded. In the case of illegal dumping, the litter warden inspects the area before it is cleaned up.
At present there are only two litter wardens in the county and Mr Smith acknowledged that there is not enough to deal with the complaints. He said that to prosecute people for illegal dumping they would need the public to be able to give evidence in court.
“We would need community groups to appear as witnesses in court because when we would go to the solicitor to look for a prosecution, they would prefer for the community to give a complaint,” said Mr Smith, who added that the procedure for complaints was under review.
However, Mr Johnny Groden, Chairman of the Murrisk Development Association, said that community groups were not getting the support from the Council when they make complaints. Mr Patsy Bourke, acting Director of Services with Mayo County Council, said that for the Council to take a case they need hard evidence before they can do so and they could not win the battle by collecting data alone.
There were calls at the meeting for additional litter wardens and for enforcement officers to be visible on the ground to deter people from dumping. Cllr Margaret Adams voiced her concern that the county was too large to police properly and a litter warden should be assigned to each electoral area. Ballina Town Councillor, Johnnie O’Malley said that people who dumped illegally do it when they know they won’t get caught.
“The people who dump illegally are aware how they are caught and the days of finding names and addresses in black plastic bags are long gone. They are dumping when they know they won’t be caught, at weekends and at night when nobody is available to detect them. If we are to catch them it won’t be by working nine to five, from Monday to Friday,” he said.
Mr Patsy Bourke also said it was the responsibility of the landowner to ensure there was no dumping on their land, adding that they would prosecute landowners if they allowed their property to be used for illegal dumping,
The issue of backyard burning was also raised at the meeting where the committee members asked the Council to clarify if all types of backyard burning were illegal after Mr Sean Smith said that it was legal to burn tree branches and leaves. However, Mr Bourke said that backyard burning was an air pollution issue and advised people not to burn and to find alternative ways of disposing of garden waste.
Cllr Adams said it was either legal or illegal and it would be a burden to a lot of people with small gardens if they were not allowed to burn tree branches and cuttings. She said there was not a lot of places to dispose of tree branches and with the introduction of pay by weight it would cost a lot of money to put them in the bin.