New laws for illegal dumping introduced in Cavan

Illegal dumpers face fines of up to €2,500 upon conviction in court; while on-the-spot offenders could be hit in the pocket to the tune of €75 after a new set of bye-laws governing how citizens of Cavan dispose of their waste were adopted. The new regulations were signed off at the monthly meeting of Cavan County Council last Monday, after Colm O’Callaghan of the Environmental Section presented them to members following the conclusion of a public consultation process earlier this year. Mr O’Callaghan accepted that the existing by-laws in the county were simply “out of date”, and the update version is to run a tighter rule over the thousands of homeowners in the county not signed up to a registered waste collection.
The aim is to encourage people to dispose of waste correctly, and make it harder for people plying a trade in collecting waste illegally to operate. The obligation going forward will be for householders to bin share with the owner’s consent; sign up to an authorised collector; or retain proof of delivering waste directly to an authorised collection site.
An added impetus contained within the bye-laws will be to demand a stricter adherence among people disposing of waste to separate it correctly.
Mr O’Callaghan informed the meeting that other councils in the region had adopted by-laws.
The by-laws were passed, proposed by Fianna Fail’s John Paul Feeley, and seconded by Fine Gael’s Winston Bennett.