Tougher action call for dumping

Fixed penalty notices or fines are on the way for householders who cannot demonstrate to enforcement officers that they are managing their waste in an environmentally appropriate way, writes Tom Shiel.

So explained Kevin Swift, regional waste coordinator for the Connaught Ulster region, at a meeting on Monday of Mayo County Council.

During the course of a question and answer session with councillors, Mr. Swift declared: “We haven’t really matured as a society in the way we use our waste. Some people have but a lot haven’t.”

Indiscriminate dumping of waste, sometimes in scenic rural areas, over-packaging of retail products, which leads to increased waste, and the refusal of Mayo County Council to deal with the removal of a dead horse from a bog when requested to by Councillor Gerry Ginty were just some of the issues raised by members of the authority.

The chairman of the authority, Councillor Damian Ryan, commented during the debate that the council needed to up the ante as regards indiscriminate dumping.