Minister Alan Dillon will announce higher on-the-spot penalties alongside a €3m anti-dumping fund, as concerns grow over weak enforcement
ON-THE-SPOT litter and dog fouling fines are set to increase by €100 in September, rising from €150 to €250.
Minister of State for the Circular Economy Alan Dillon will today announce the plans, which will come into force from September 1st.
It’s also understood that Dillon will seek to encourage local authorities to improve enforcement with the extra revenue generated.
Meanwhile, Dillon will also announce a €3m investment in anti-dumping initiatives across all local authorities, as well as funding for some 200 anti-dumping projects nationwide.
These anti-dumping projects include clean-up operations, CCTV monitoring, public awareness campaigns and enforcement initiatives.
In 2024, Vision Ireland, conducted a survey of 281 respondents who were blind or visually impaired and found 42% were impacted by dog waste on a regular basis.
Kildare County Council issued 4 fines for dog fouling in 2024.
Some counties had issued no fines with Cork County Council issuing the highest number of dog fouling fines with 11.
Cork City and Labour councillor Peter Horgan has criticised the decision to increase fines “without addressing the completely unworkable enforcement system” in place according to the Journal.ie
Horgan said the move “risks becoming another headline without any meaningful change on the ground unless local authorities are given practical powers to enforce the rules effectively”.
He said local authorities struggle to issue “any fines at all because of the impossible evidential burden involved”.
“At present, a litter warden effectively has to witness the offence in full, identify the individual involved, and then rely on members of the public being willing to go to court,” said Horgan.
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