650,000 euro to clean up illegal dumping – 1,600 collected in fines

Figures released by Donegal County Council show that illegal dumping last year cost almost 650,000 euro to clean up.
The figures were released to Councillor Patrick McGowen who has called on the council to outline what plans are in place to clean up the primary entrance roads to the county.
He has also queried the level of littering fines issued and collected on by the local authority.
In 2009 the council spent 316 thousand euro on its Mobile Litter Units which are responsible for the clean of litter on the roadsides, recycling banks and public areas.
124 thousand euro was spent providing skips, black bags and litter pickers to voluntary groups while 107 thousand euro was spent cleaning up the county’s beaches.
These costs don’t include street sweeping and litterbin collection.
However of the 650 thousand it cost to clean up illegal dumpin just 1,600 euro was recouped through fines.
191 fixed penalty notice were issued under the Litter Pollution Act, 55 were paid and of 136 that weren’t just two were persued in the courts.