Illegal dumping, or fly-tipping, poses a health risk to plants, animals and people who use the areas where waste is illegally dumped. It’s also unsightly. It is carried out by waste collectors without collection permits as well as people illegally dumping their own waste directly. It is extremely unnecessary as a considerable amount of this material is recyclable and can be brought free of charge to recycling centres.

PURE (Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments), is an environmental project established to combat this increase in illegal dumping/fly-tipping that occurs in the Wicklow/Dublin uplands.

The PURE project is a regional initiative, the first of its kind in Ireland, which incorporates Wicklow County Council and three Dublin local authorities (South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Dublin City Council) as well as Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), ESB, and a number of other organisations represented by the Wicklow Uplands Council.

PURE have removed over 820 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish since 2007, involving over 1,600 individual collections. This amounts to over 800,000 kg of rubbish, which is the equivalent of over 114,000 standard black rubbish bags. It collects over 30 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish per month from the upland areas. 

To Report illegal dumping or illegal waste contractors, lo-call 1850 365121 and speak to a trained operator. This information is followed up and checked by the enforcement authorities - local authorities, the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement and the Gardaí - through the Environmental Enforcement Network. The service has a success rate of approximately 70% to date.

Created: 23/2/2010