This publication can reveal that Tipperary County Council issued over 100 trash penalties and collected over €12,000 in 2022.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, the local council issued 118 trash penalties last year and collected €12,625.
The council spokeswoman informed this publication that “littering and illegal dumping continues to be challenging both locally and nationally”.
“The council needs evidence to fine or prosecute, which can be hard to get.
“Tipperary County Council is very proactive in this regard and uses all available means to gather evidence, including CCTV and drones,” they continued.
2022 litter complaints dropped 36% to 673.
The council imposed 118 litter penalties in 2022, a 40% decrease from the previous year, which matched the decrease in litter complaints.
In 2022, the local authority reported five successful Litter Pollution Act 1997 cases for non-payment of litter penalties and eight successful Waste Management Act 1996 cases for unlawful dumping.
14 Litter Pollution Act 1997 and five Waste Management Act 1996 charges were successful in 2021.
“Tipperary County Council will continue to take a strict approach to enforcing litter/waste management legislation and will issue fines and bring legal proceedings against those who flout the law,” the spokeswoman added.
The National trash Pollution Monitoring System (NLPMS) found a decrease in trash in Tipperary between 2020 and 2021.
Tipp has 63% litter-free area in 2021, up from 7% in 2020.
However, litter-polluted areas increased from 0% to 2%.
In 2020 and 2021, Tipp’s litter-polluted area was 0%.
