EPA launches waste watch phone line
Wednesday, 28 June 2006 22:02
The Environmental Protection Agency is establishing a new 24-hour phone service for the public which it is hoped will significantly reduce large-scale illegal dumping.
Calls to the hotline are to be followed up by local authority officials, the gardaí and the EPA's enforcement officers.
The aim of the service is to identify any large-scale dumping sites, any abandoned illegal dumps or areas of major fly-tipping.
In such cases, the public is being urged to ring the new EPA hotline - 1850 365 121 - which will be staffed round the clock.
The confidential service, which mirrors litter phone lines operated by local authorities, will run for an initial six-month trial period.
The EPA says experience in places like England and Scotland suggests the phone line will become a central part of the fight against illegal waste activity.
The public's verdict on the new service will depend on the response time to any complaint and the success rate in prosecuting those who illegally dump.
