Cigarette butts remain Ireland’s ‘biggest litter scourge’

Cigarette butts continue to be Ireland’s “biggest litter scourge”, accounting for almost half of discarded waste in Ireland, new research has found.

The 2021 data measuring public habits, released by the National Litter Pollution Monitoring System, also shows the amount of space unaffected by littering has shrunk.

Areas classified as unpolluted and only slightly polluted decreased by 0.5 per cent between 2020 and 2021. According to the Department of the Environment, while this indicates “a slight overall increase in national litter pollution”, the data also shows “grossly polluted areas” decreased by 0.2 per cent in the same period.

When it comes to day-to-day littering, the survey shows cigarette-related litter accounts for the vast majority of waste at more than 48 per cent, followed by packaging (20 per cent). Guilty parties are overwhelmingly pedestrians (41 per cent) and motorists (22 per cent).

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Meanwhile, CCTV cameras are to be installed in north Dublin to combat illegal dumping following the removal of 80 tonnes of refuse and bulky household waste from a single site.

On Friday, Fingal County Council said the materials had been removed from Dunsink Lane near Finglas, in northwest Dublin, in a joint operation including Garda support.

It is half the amount of dumped material hauled from the site in December 2020.

“Increased patrols and checkpoints by waste enforcement officers and local community gardaí have been implemented to monitor activities on the ground to prevent further dumping,” the council said.

Surveillance cameras are also due to be installed in line with recent environmental legislation.

Illegal dumping can be prosecuted in the District Court under the Waste Management Act with fines of up to €5,000 and 12-month prison terms.

The local authority reminded the public that so-called “man in a van” waste collection services often operate without licences and discard waste illegally.