*Photograph: John Mangan

An Ennis councillor has suggested rewards be issued for “civic-minded members of the public” that report incidences of illegal dumping.

Prevalence of illegal dumping across Co Clare has prompted Cllr Pat Daly (FF) to seek that rewards be granted to persons that report the crime.

Presently, ways of reporting illegal dumping include contacting Clare County Council’s environment section’s anti-litter hotline on 1800 606 706, availing of the online query section on the local authority’s website or by using the fix your street web page.

Senior executive engineer, Brendan Flynn outlined, “If evidence of Illegal dumping is found, we will take appropriate enforcement action. In addition to public reporting, the Environment Section has a very active Waste Enforcement team comprising of an Executive Engineer, Waste Enforcement Officer and 4 Wardens who carry our daily patrols of the county”.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Daly put forward his view that people who report illegal dumping are either prepared to stand up in Court on the matter or remain anonymous. He felt the persons that flagged the matter before a Court of law deserved to have their costs refunded. Daly believed that the presentation of a reward for persons that raise the alarm would act as an incentive.

“There isn’t a month that goes by where there isn’t a motion about illegal dumping,” Cllr Ann Norton (IND) remarked. She praised the work of the environment section and the volunteers with groups such as Tidy Towns. “A lot of the time, people don’t want to get involved in going down the line of having or producing evidence. People have busy lives but unfortunately we need to come up with mechanisms to stop illegal dumping. It is so unacceptable that volunteers have to pick up this rubbish”. Cllr Mark Nestor (FF) welcomed efforts to “tackle the scourge of illegal dumping”.