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AN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP that cleans up waste in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains has said it has seen a 22% increase in the volume of illegal dumping.
Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (Pure), which removes waste from sites used for illegal dumping, said it collected 146,580kg of waste from 890 spots in 2024.
It marked a 22% increase on the 120,000kg it found and removed in 2023.
It noted, however, that the volume of waste in recent years is still lower than the group’s busiest-ever year in 2008.
The group said it encountered a particularly large number of illegal dumping sites last year, including one “large-scale illegal dumping incident” that it cleaned up that involved 8,000kg of construction and demolition waste.
“We were extremely busy in 2024 and in the first four months we removed 60,000kg of illegally dumped waste, which is an increase compared to previous years,” said Pure Manager Ian Davis in a statement.
Davis said the group “responded to several large scale illegal dumping incidents with many of the sites containing mixed waste including, cement blocks, timber, pallets, couches, sofas, tables, beds, mattresses, cabinets, chairs, toys, clothes, carpets, presses, fridges, TVs, washing machines – the list is endless”.
“Although we did see an increase in dumping recorded in 2024, it is worth noting that when you compare last year to 2008, which was our busiest year, when we removed 440 tonnes (440,000kg), 2024 represents a 67% reduction in illegal dumping in Wicklow/Dublin Uplands,” he said.
“We have made huge progress in reducing illegal dumping, but we know that we cannot become complacent, and it is vital that we continue to monitor the situation and ensure that we remove illegal dumping quickly from the landscape – because we know that, Dumping causes Dumping.’”
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Absolutely NO CORRELATION with our ‘open borders’ policies or uncontrolled immigration to all & sundry
@Mary Linton: It has what to do with this story? Unless you have the audacity to blame immigrants.
@Mary Linton: I’d say the amount of illegal dumping is in direct proportion to the number of Journal trolling accounts that you have
@Kev Kerr: is it kev or kevvy or Kevin account this week???? As you’re well aware sweet cheeks I have 1 account only,1email address, 1 phone number & don’t do social media…………. TRY it sometime
@Brian D’Arcy: jesus, you’re quick on the uptake……they call you ‘ lightening ‘ down pub?
@Mary Linton: Do you even go to the pub Chutes? Somehow I doubt it.
@Mary Linton: do you even know what the word correlation means?
@Mary Linton: you’re a man.
@Mary Linton: Correct , No correlation.
I blame the gypos dumping it up there.
@Lance Taylor: But you blamed immigrants in your mary Linton personality. Which is it? Everyone except “white Irish settled” people?
@Eugene Burns: €1.25 has been deposited to your account. Thank you.
@Eugene Burns: The world and Cathy Barry know who’s doing it!
Whilst illegal dumping of waste must be condemned, councils are not helping matters by charging excessive fees at their recycling centres!
@Brian Hunt: €5.00 in Limerick
Provide a service for people to drop off their waste that is more reasonably priced and this wouldn’t be a thing!!
@BrennJam: Exactly. Or make the companies who make fortunes from producing plastic so needlessly pay for it. The polluter pays no?
@BrennJam: 8 euro for a jeep-full of stuff isn’t unreasonable at all. People doing this dumping are spending more in petrol to drive up there and leave it all on the side of the road. There really is no excuse.
@conor bradley: €25 for a carload where I live. Tried to get rid of a boot full of cardboard recently, ended up slowly getting rid of it over 2 months in the wheelie bin, not paying €25 !
@conor bradley: Not a hope, dismantled a no hope sofa, took it to recycle. Was put on the weigh bridge. 35€. South Kilkenny. Far from the Pale.
@Jackie Moore: cardboard is free to dispose in recycling centers. But where charges €8 for non recyclables?
@helen mary fitzsimons: you’re right I had another look there, it’s only €3 per carload for recyclables, I didn’t see that at the time, that’s much more reasonable!
@Jackie Moore:
Magazines,and newspapers should be free as the company taking them make a lot of money out of them.
I always pay 4 Euro for a lot.
There are 100 ways the Irish government could be saving money elsewhere to provide a better waste removal service, but as McGregor said….zero action with zero accountability!!!
The hallmarks of the “Cream Crackers” – this vital dying culture must be protected at all costs. From organising fights in a children’s playground, vandalising the DART/ train lines, and dumping household rubbish on the roadside. This culture is a massive benefit to the local communities in Wicklow, and South Dublin.
@Alberto Balsam: “cream crackers” is a generic term that mostly applies to the socially housed, dole scrounging crims in Canada Goose and fake tan that make up 99% of Sunday World reports.
Phil Hogan on his way to the piggy trough in Brussels introduced refuse charges to heap yet another bill on the already screwed PAYE PRSI USC. Private refuse firms have gone on to reap multi millions from what was before one of the amenities provided for handing over 50% of your income. It is no surprise that both individuals and unscrupulous black marketeers then dump in the mountains. It’s not right, but you can see why it happens if you get charged another €30 to go to the dump.
There’s mountains of it in Wicklow!
Same thing is happening in London and Birmingham. Entire streets in city centre destroyed. And yes we all know exactly who’s doing it.
And the worst part of it is that even if the council find evidence against the culprit judges won’t impose the clean up costs, just a 125 euro fine as the defendants are normally not working, they’re able to leave the court and drive off in their new pick ups,.but no history of ever working.
It’s no wonder. Just went to coolmine recycling dump center. It’s €24 for backseat and boot.
What the actual…….?
I literally can’t believe it. My first thought is it’s no wonder people dump..
Half the bloody stuff was electric waste too. Which I told him
Ireland is officially mad!
@Notty Tee: what’s wrong with paying to dump your rubbish, better than to see it littered all over the countryside.
@Notty Tee: You can get rid of electrical waste for free at Harvey Norman and other types of stores
@Phillip Smyth: Nobody has an issue paying to dump rubbish. I never eluded to that. It’s the exorbitant prices I was highlighting.
@Notty Tee: that’s not expensive if you’re saving the planet, I suppose you brought your children with you as well, good man let them learn for their future .
@Phillip Smyth: I did my bit saving the planet by not having children. Don’t be such a ar5e
@Notty Tee: good man you really have done well for the planet.
@Notty Tee: You’ll find it’s only expensive in Dublin.
@Pat Barry: yes it’s cheaper in Wicklow.
@Phillip Smyth: Are you taking illegal substances?
@Brian Hunt: only for my in grown toe nail, and only when it’s dark.{why?}
@Notty Tee: My local recycling centre has a free recycling day once a month to the best of my knowledge for everything apart from things like white goods, sofas and mattresses. Perhaps the time had come to introduce a recycling charge for goods that need to be recycled such as white goods, sofas, mattresses etc. This does exist for some large bulky items but not all.
@Notty Tee: my apologies Sir if I offended you in any way, it was never my intention to do so.
@Phillip Smyth: Just wondering!
Apart from costs I cannot understand the mentality of someone doing illegal dumping in our natural environment.
People are trash.
@Damien O’Sullivan: apart from.cost i cannot understand why everyone does not own a home
Dear Old Dirty Dublin
It was ever thus
Dublin mings. . . .
Someone should write down all the brand names on that waste and talk to the companies about cleaning it up.
@Louis Jacob: I just bought my son the beyblade thing. Not that cheap; I was expecting a more robust use of plastic, but a 7 year old boy will demolish it in less than a month. I’ll burn that when he’s done with it.
@Louis Jacob: Hold on Louis, burning plastics releases noxious gases into the atmosphere, naughty..naughty!
@Brian Hunt: lol. You’re car burns more taking into the recycling centre. I actually believe in global warming. The global warming industry however, is one of the biggest shams of all time. I don’t know if you remember when Gene Kerrigan exposed the piece of wording in policy that was to turn us from citizens to consumers, but I refuse to pay on both sides. Working people create only a very small percentage of CO2.
@Louis Jacob: your
@Louis Jacob: Agree totally!
There’s only so much west tamlacht can fit in the rivers. It’s like Bangladesh already. Bins are for setting fire to, not putting rubbish into. This is why it gets dumped where it does.
Bet any money this is the work of local white people. Look up the addresses of the cream crackers charged in Newtownmountkennedy and use Google Street View. Them is ideal culprits.
@Sherry Adams – Norn Iron Drag Artiste: Clearly never been to India have ya pal. I hear Wicklow people are known for public defication lol. Look at the videos on YouTube of the dumping in the Muslim areas of Birmingham. Who do you think is on the tidy towns picking it up? All white English even though they are in the minority. It’s not in Western culture to thrown rubbish in the street or shit in the street. So stop talking out your hole. https://youtu.be/YyTXFZyIrRw?si=pQ8Ko-VlkPTy-Oaa
@Sherry Adams – Norn Iron Drag Artiste: first Ballybrack, and now Newtownmountkennedy, is it a nation full of ne’er do wells that we live in, or is it just your town that’s special?
About 15 euro in deposit fees right there for those beer cans.
Unfortunately, it is more than just a cost of disposal problem.
I am regularly picking up crisp packets/chocolate bar wrappers, cans etc from my lane.
Knowing that every petrol station in the country has numerous bins which can be used for free, this is definitely a mentality and attitude problem.
I’ve even had a clever man dump on my lad leaving a medical appointment invoice with name, address. He got it back.
And it wasn’t a foreign man either.
@Aindriu MacCuartaigh: dumped on my land… not my lad .. oops
Scrapheap challenge
The privatisation was faulty, given that the operators only engage with voluntary prepay and directdebit customers, and have no obligation to ensure 100% engagement.
The operators should be franchised by zone/s, with responsibility for ALL refuse services by zone, one operator perzone, reviewable 4 or 5 yearly intervals.
Non compliant addresses would be promptly exposed for prosecution.
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