Deere welcomes use of CCTV to clamp down on illegal dumping
Fine Gael councillor Ger Deere says illegal dumping must be stopped ‘for once and for all’
New regulations allowing Mayo County Council to use CCTV, drones and other technologies to tackle illegal dumping and fly tipping has been welcomed by a Castlebar-based county councillor.
Cllr Ger Deere, who is also a committee member of Castlebar Tidy Towns, said the new regulations put in place under the Circular Economy Act 2022 were ‘very welcome’ and would see ‘this unacceptable behaviour stopped for once and for all’.
Local authorities seeking to prosecute people for littering or dumping have previously encountered arguments from defendants that CCTV evidence breached their privacy.
The new regulations were recently signed off by Minister of State for the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth.
“I have campaigned for some time for a CCTV camera to be installed under the bridge along the river walk near Marsh House at Market Square in Castlebar. This location attracts anti-social behaviour and littering on a regular basis. Funding was set aside in the budget for the camera but was held up due to this legislation,” Cllr Deere said.