'Nowhere to hide!' Drones to be used against illegal dumping
Drones will soon be used across Westmeath in a bid to reduce the high volume of illegal dumping around the county.
The local authority was allocated a grant of €2,500 last week for the purchase of drones, which will be used to investigate dumping in rural areas.
It was one of a number of new projects that has been allocated funding in Westmeath for combating fly tipping, including €40,000 for the purchase of CCTV cameras and €11,000 for anti-dumping LED signs.
At an SPC meeting on May 15, climate action officer John Jackson said it will be a “huge help” in investigating illegal dumping.
“Some of the places where it’s happening can be very hard to access,” he said.
“You might come across drainage and other dangerous obstacles, but we now have €2,500 to purchase drones and we will be using that to combat illegal dumping.
“It will be for investigation primarily, where we get a report of dumping in a place that’s inaccessible or where we need to gather more evidence.
“We will also be open to other uses if it complies with GDPR, but the drones are welcome and they will be another sword in our armoury against anti-dumping.”
Cllr Johnnie Penrose said that drones should be “a big help” to council fly tipping investigations.
It’s something the council had “been looking at for a long time”, according to Cllr Paul Hogan, who was pleased funding has been approved.
Mr Jackson also said the council plan on using CCTV as a “potent weapon” against illegal dumping in the county, following the €40,000 allocation for purchasing cameras.
“We’re letting the public know CCTV will be in place in any areas where there is a litter problem, so it will be hard to hide from here on in,” he said.
“We’re getting more serious about dumping now, it is on the increase and we really welcome the opportunity to start using CCTV, we haven’t had the opportunity in the last few years.
“But it will be a potent weapon of ours in the coming years.”
The climate action officer also said the “cost of cameras has decreased in recent years”, so the council hope to have plenty available to them once the purchase is complete.
“We will be moving them around different locations in the county,” said Mr Jackson.
“For operational reasons, we won’t be saying where and when we will be doing that.
“But the message we want to get out is if you dump anywhere in the county from here on in – expect to be on camera because we will have as many rolled out as possible.”
Other funding allocations for anti-dumping initiatives in Westmeath is €12,500 for audio devices that will remind the public of their responsibilities at certain locations and €14,000 on a media advertisement campaign.