Bid to expand CCTV to tackle illegal dumping in Kildare
CCTV was installed to address the dumping problem at Edmund Rice Square, Athy
THE impact of CCTV surveillance in combating illegal dumping at Edmund Rice Square in Athy has been held up as a success story with the expansion of such measures currently being sought for areas around the county.
At the most recent full Kildare County Council meeting, cllr Pat Balfe motioned that the council “increases enforcement measures to combat illegal dumping across the county, including the expansion of CCTV surveillance at known blackspots”.
He also requested that the council provides a report to the elected members “within three months outlining enforcement actions taken, fines issued and priority areas for intervention”.
The council’s responded to the motion through a report issued by director of services for climate, community, environment and water Marian Higgins, which said that the use of CCTV in Athy has shown that the measure can be effective in addressing blackspot areas.
The council stated that it “remains positive about rolling out CCTV” and has asked each municipal district to allocate funding for potential deployment, but the expansion must follow statutory process, comply with GDPR and be considered on a site-specific basis.
The impact of the CCTV at Edmund Rice Square was seen in December when the council provided figures showing that 58 separate incidents of dumping were recorded in the six-week period between the installation of the cameras on 9 October 2025 and 17 November 2025.
43 fines were issued with 25 paid, 11 payments in process and 7 awaiting legal action at that stage.
Ms Higgins report outlined the council’s view that CCTV is only one part of the wider range of actions needed across the county to combat littering and dumping.
Cllr Balfe also asked for an allocation of additional resources to the community warden service and the introduction of “targeted public awareness campaigns”.
The report noted that there are currently five community wardens in the county who enforce litter laws and engage with communities and businesses.
The report stated that there is currently no funding available to increase the number of wardens.
Ms Higgins’s report also noted the work of the council’s environment awareness officer who raises public awareness through campaigns ran in the local media and on social media.
The report highlighted the council’s adoption of a new litter management plan, which sets out prevention, enforcement and public-awareness measures.
Cllr Chris Pender spoke at the meeting to air his frustration with litterers and dumpers “who don’t seem to think there’s any consequences to their actions” and said that it’s being left up to individuals to go out and address littering and dumping in communities.
