Calls to green-light CCTV to fight dumping

CALLS have been made for CCTV draft codes of practice to be published to allow local authorities in Cork and across Ireland to tackle issues such as dog fouling and illegal dumping.

The Government is yet to sign off on the final codes of practice that would allow local authorities to use CCTV and other technologies to detect and tackle illegal dumping, more than a year after an Act on the topic was brought into law.

The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 provides for the GDPR-compliant use of a range of technologies, such as CCTV, for waste enforcement purposes to support efforts to tackle illegal dumping and littering, while protecting the privacy rights of citizens.

The act was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins last year, however, local authorities across Ireland are still waiting for the green light to use CCTV to tackle illegal dumping and littering. This is because the Government is yet to receive codes of practice from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) on the topic.

Until these codes of practice are examined and signed off on by the Government, CCTV cannot be used by local authorities to tackle these issues.

Six months ago, in a statement, the LGMA claimed that the codes of practice were “well advanced” and were being legally reviewed.

CODES OF PRACTICE

However, this month, Minister Eamon Ryan’s department revealed to the Labour Party that he is still yet to see the finalised codes of practice.

“The LGMA is continuing to work on the finalisation of these draft Codes of Practice and DPIAs (Data Protection Impact Assessments), which are fundamental to the future operation of CCTV schemes aimed at assisting waste enforcement and anti-litter efforts, including the monitoring of illegal dumping and dog fouling,” he said.

He added the LGMA circulated draft Codes of Practice and DPIAs to ministers as part of the required consultation process and that all bodies have now responded to the LGMA with their views, and the LGMA process is “at an advanced stage”.

Addressing the length of time it is taking to finalise the draft codes of practice, Labour Party candidate for Cork City South East, Peter Horgan, said: “This endless cycle of bureaucratic dawdling is impacting communities blighted by dumping and anti-social behaviour.

“How can we expect local authorities and gardaí to tackle these issues if they cannot even use the tools made available to them through legislation?

“My colleague, Senator Mark Wall, secured the inclusion of the CCTV in legislation so that we can tackle dumping of all kinds and anti-social behaviour and not be hamstrung by the data protection niceties.

“We need this sorted now.”

Speaking about the proposed use of CCTV to tackle dog fouling, Kevin Kelly, national strategic partnership manager for Vision Ireland, highlighted the impact of dog fouling on the visually impaired.

“Vision Ireland would welcome any proposal or regulation which would result in less dog fouling on public paths,” he said. “Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired who use our footpaths daily.

“A recent Vision Ireland survey showed that it was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by respondents.

“Not only can dog fouling cause a slip hazard, but it can also be distressing for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.”