Illegal Dumping Must be Tackled

Cllr Ciarán Fisher Calls for CCTV to Combat Illegal Dumping on Racecourse Road

Councillor Ciarán Fisher has declared that illegal dumping on Racecourse Road, near the Ath Lethan estate in Dundalk, “must not be allowed to continue” and is urging Louth County Council to pilot CCTV to catch culprits.

Cllr Fisher expressed deep concern over recent dumping along this ‘litter hotspot’, despite a large-scale clean-up last June. Photographs shared by the councillor reveal piles of household waste, marring an area that feeds into waterways connected to Dundalk Bay. “This not only harms our local environment but also impacts the community’s quality of life,” Fisher stated. “What should be a scenic walk on the edge of town is spoiled by large-scale dumping, leaving residents worried about what children might uncover.”

The area’s proximity to Dundalk Stadium and the bypass heightens the urgency of addressing this issue. “Imagine visiting Dundalk for the first time and being greeted by this sight—it’s disgusting and damages our region’s appeal,” Fisher added.

Cllr Fisher believes CCTV is long overdue to tackle this persistent problem. With only two residential houses beyond the Ath Lethan turn, he believes installing a camera at this point could act as a strong deterrent and help identify vehicles involved. “We also need to catch culprits and impose fines,” he said. “Some people need to be made an example of, to make it clear that this is unacceptable. A domestic bin costs less than €5 a week—there’s no excuse.”

Fisher questioned the logic of those who “load rubbish into a car to dump it illegally, wasting council resources, when proper waste collection is less than a fiver a week.” He echoed recent comments by Cllr Nash, advocating that all properties be required to provide proof of a bin contract. “If bin services were compulsory, it would significantly reduce incidents like this,” Fisher noted. “The cost of the clean ups this causes, is greater than the cost of these people getting bins, so we need fines to start to offset that.”

Cllr Fisher encourages residents to remain vigilant and report dumping incidents to Louth County Council at 042 933 5457. “Community action, combined with stronger enforcement and surveillance, can help keep Racecourse Road clean and protect our environment,” he concluded.

Cllr Fisher removed some black bin bags using a reacher tool on loan from Dundalk Tidy Towns himself, but said the scale of the clean up would need a team and large skips!