Fly tipping at Cork housing estate prompts call for cameras to tackle illegal dumping  

Camera enforcement is the only way to tackle ongoing illegal dumping in a Blackpool housing estate, a local TD has said.

The Orchard Court Estate is frequently littered with loose rubbish, black bags of household waste, and even bulky items such as furniture. 

Pictures taken last week show a leather armchair, bedframe, mattress, and three shopping trolleys dumped in the estate beside the river, where litter often ends up.

Fine Gael’s Colm Burke said Cork City Council had since cleared the waste, but that this was an ongoing issue in the estate: “It’s every day there. People living there say that some of their neighbours don’t have bins at all, they’re just taking the easy option.

“But there are outsiders coming in and dumping rubbish too,” including one person who has repeatedly been seen parking a van, dropping refuse, then driving off again, he said. 

“There’s a number of people at it, but the only way you can catch people like that is on camera.”

Regular occurance

The resident who contacted Mr Burke about the dumping said: “This is a regular occurrence. Actually, this is mild. Sometimes it’s twice as bad.”

The resident also called for cameras to tackle the ongoing illegal dumping.

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran proposed the installation of cameras at the estate in early 2025, and was told “there are new stringent guidelines in relation to the use of CCTV for litter monitoring” and that the council would have to examine the suitability of the area.

In April last year, the council undertook a public consultation on the provision of CCTV cameras in public areas for the prevention of litter and illegal dumping in 13 areas of the city, including Orchard Court.

Mr Burke said he would “absolutely” support CCTV in the estate: “It’s the only way to catch people like this, you need physical evidence, to catch the individual or the car registration plates. Once they’re up and people are aware they’re up, they’ll stop dumping there — the only problem is that they’ll look for somewhere else to dump then.”

The Echo contacted Cork City Council for comment.