Call for end to privatisation of waste collection amid 'crisis' of illegal dumping in Cork city

A new solution is needed to help solve Cork’s “crisis” of illegal dumping, a city councillor has said following the discovery of litter and household waste in what has become a popular spot for dumping.

A number of bags of litter were discovered along Thomas Davis Street in Blackpool on Monday morning in addition to items of household waste including a bed frame and a mattress.

The litter was located in three separate spots along the road.

Cllr Fiona Ryan said she saw the bags of rubbish early in the morning and stated that such dumping is a daily occurrence on the street while one particular spot sees similar incidents every Monday morning.

She described illegal dumping as an ongoing issue.

“It’s particularly Thomas Davis Street but illegal dumping is a crisis everywhere.

“The thing is, this has been going on literally years and I have provided the address of at least one of the dumpers that I am absolutely certain of because I have confronted them before and they didn’t care, and the reality is that the Council’s mechanism of addressing this isn’t fit for purpose.” 

Cllr Ryan believes that only an end to the privatisation of waste collection and a return of waste collection to Council authorities can help stop the issue as fining is currently not working.

“People want to see people punished and I can understand that, I’m feeling extremely frustrated myself, but the reality is that the status quo is orientated towards punishing people and it’s not working, it's failing.” 

She noted that the issue is not just in Blackpool, stating that it is “absolutely everywhere and in every housing estate, in every lane, in every alley in Cork, there is illegal dumping happening”.

“We need to move away from a punitive approach that doesn’t work and has proven to not work, towards having in reality what would probably be a more cost-effective approach of returning waste collection in some measure, back to the council," she said.

Cllr Ryan said the only solution is for Council to “face facts” and provide waste disposal services directly.

She added: “I’m concerned about getting the waste off the streets and if that means a different approach to these sort of things, then that is what’s needed.”