The ongoing frustration of illegal dumping in Mayo
A trio of college students - Alanna Cunnane, Kathleen Keane and Emma Kilcawley Hemani - take a deep dive examination into the act of illegal dumping in County Mayo, consulting concerned groups and representatives along the way for their expertise. This article is part two of a three-part series
by Kathleen Keane
Illegal dumping has been a frustrating issue in many counties across Ireland for several years.
It has had a major impact on the image of our country.
There are many social consequences associated with the act of illegal dumping. This includes environmental damage and an effect on tourism in many areas.
Kilmeena Councillor Johnny O’Malley does not feel that illegal dumping has worsened throughout the pandemic.
He said that there is still ‘an issue of dumping on an odd quiet, country road’.
Mayo County Council, along with volunteer groups across the county, continue to work tirelessly to combat illegal dumping and to protect the scenic allure of the county.
Westport Councillor Peter Flynn concurred.
“If you have visitors coming to a particular town or location and they see rubbish dumped it gives a very bad impression of the particular location.”
Tourism continues to be hugely beneficial to businesses and the economy of the county. There were many people staycationing in Mayo throughout the summer months.
When the national lockdown eased in June 2020, there was a 112% increase in searches for Irish holiday homes in comparison to 2019, according to research conducted by Myhome.ie. Staycation became the buzzword throughout the country as people abandoned plans to travel abroad as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In July 2020, Mayo County Council were notified of an incident of illegal dumping at The Point, at the Quay area in Westport.
The Point has been a popular area for swimming in recent years for local people and tourists alike. People had been disposing of raw sewerage from their portable toilets into the sea.
Speaking about the matter, Councillor O’Malley said: “It was a very bad image for the people coming to the town and the Quay area to dump their rubbish into the sea.
“All of that stuff comes down through the tide and washes up on the shore. Some of that waste would be floating. It would come all along the shore, from the Quay in Westport down to Carrowholly, right over to Murrisk. It could go anywhere.”
Councillor O’Malley noted that it was a very irresponsible thing to do and it should have been disposed of in a proper manner.
“I live beside the sea here, my land is right on the sea. I see the stuff that comes up on our land sometimes and you would wonder where it comes from. There is plastic, there is bottles, bits of everything,” he says.
Waste that accumulates on land can have a major impact on ecological habitats, aquatic habitats, and contributes to chemical pollutants in the environment. Waste can travel into the sea through the tide and travels through various weather factors including wind and rain.
Mayo has won numerous blue flag awards throughout the years for its clean beaches. The county is renowned for its coastline and beaches.
They have been integral in inviting an influx of tourists to travel to the west of Ireland in the last number of years. Keem Bay, Achill, was ranked at number 11 of the 50 best beaches in the world by Big 7 Travel in 2019.
Litter on beaches across the county continues to be a prevalent issue.
Councillor Flynn observed: “That’s a point that I should mention, people going to beaches and going for picnics and all the bits and bobs. Some people just don’t seem to be inclined to bring whatever resultant rubbish coming out of it back home.”
The Keep Our Beaches Clean group is one of the many volunteer-led groups in Mayo working to combat litter. They aim to keep Louisburgh beaches clean and raise awareness to fight marine and coastal pollution.
A post on their Facebook page noted that the sand dunes at Silver Strand beach, Louisburgh, were in a dire state during the Christmas period.
In a litter collection at the beginning of January, one family noted that about 98% of the waste collected was plastic. Of all waste, plastic waste is the most harmful to the environment. It can take up to 1,000 years for plastic to decompose.
If we witness illegally dumped waste, it is crucial to notify councillors or the county council on the matter.
“When we see it happen, we have to try to stop it. If you don’t, it just gets worse and worse and worse. Everybody is aware of it and nobody wants to see any dumping except for the person that is dumping it. I can’t understand the mentality of anybody wanting to dump stuff on the side of the road. It’s ugly to see,” said Councillor O’Malley.
“When people get caught, they won’t do it again. If they get caught, they’ll be fined and the amount they’ll be fined will be an awful lot more than what it would have cost them to get rid of it properly. And if they don’t pay it, they will be prosecuted.”
In October 2020, the council established new legislation for household and commercial waste disposal. The bye-laws aim to encourage people to manage their waste in an environmentally acceptable manner.
Each household and business are required to avail of private kerbside collection or distribute their waste at a civic amenity centre. They must hold receipts of disposals for inspections conducted by Mayo County Council's environmental enforcement officers. Failure to comply with the new bye-laws could result in a €75 fixed fine or a €2,500 fine upon conviction.
There are two civic amenity sites in Mayo provided by Mayo County Council - Derrinumera, Castlebar Road, Newport, and Rathroeen, Killala Road, Ballina. Areas outside Westport, like Aughagower, have faced difficulty in finding waste collection companies that will do kerbside collections. Their closest landfill site is approximately 23km away in distance.
“The people of this area are quite willing to pay to get a collection going. It's something that we have to work on in this coming year now. We have to help those people. We have to get to these people that are operating those rubbish collections and try and get them out there. It's not fair to them,” Councillor O’Malley said.
As a result of this, there has been incidences of people dumping their rubbish on the roadside. Councillor O’Malley said that he intends to speak about this issue at the next municipal meeting.
He hopes to find a solution for the people of the affected areas but it's an ongoing challenge.