Waste Enforcement

Leitrim County Council tackles litter on three fronts, namely increasing awareness, enforcing litter legislation and street sweeping.

Increasing Awareness 

The Council's Environmental Education Officer has responsibility for increasing awareness in the area of litter. In particular schools are targeted. Every effort is made to visit all schools in the county each year to impress upon pupils how unacceptable it is to litter. Schools are encouraged to participate in the Green Schools Programme, which focuses strongly on overcoming the problem of litter.

Householders are also targeted through a variety of means. These include giving presentations to community groups, highlighting the issue in the Council's Environmental Newsletter, Environment Matters, and using the local media to increase awareness.

Enforcing Litter Legislation

The Litter Pollution Act, 1997 is enforced by the Council's Community Wardens. The on the spot fine for littering is currently €150. Any member of the public that receives a fine and does not pay within the allowed three-week period is likely to be prosecuted in court.

The Wardens also investigate any reported cases of illegal dumping. This involves sifting through rubbish in an attempt to find evidence linking the illegal dump to the culprit. If the culprit is identified, he / she is obliged to responsibly dispose of the rubbish and also is likely to be prosecuted.
In addition to the above, the Wardens also combat litter at the county's 40 bring-centres through regular inspections and issuing of fines to litter offenders.
Any member of the public that wants to report a litter / illegal dumping offence should contact the Leitrim County Council. All contact information can be found on our Contact Page. 

Street Sweeping 

Leitrim County Council has in place a street-sweeping programme that ensures that all towns and villages are regularly cleaned. This is done through a combination of manual and mechanical street sweeping.