Littering and illegal dumping

Litter management

Your local authority is responsible for keeping public places clean and free of litter. This includes:

• Street cleaning
• Providing litter bins
• Emptying litter bins
• Enforcing rules and regulations around littering (taking legal action against people who do not follow the law)
• Enforcing littering fines

Your local authority will have a litter management plan. They monitor littering in your area for the National Litter Pollution Monitoring Scheme, and they can support community projects aiming to tackle litter such as the TidyTowns competition.

Local authorities also enforce rules around:

• Dog fouling
• Posters and signs on poles and other structures in public places
• Flyers and leaflets distributed on the street
• Plastic bag levy on shopping bags
• Fines for littering

Local authority litter wardens and Gardaí can issue fines for littering. This can include:

• €150 on-the-spot
• Up to €4,000 if convicted in the District Court
• Up to €600 for every day you litter after a conviction for littering
• Up to €130,000 on-the-spot for causing environmental pollution and €10,000 per day for continuing offences

If you are convicted for littering in the District Court, you may have to pay the local authority’s legal costs.

Making a complaint about litter

If you wish to make a complaint about litter in your area, or request a public bin, contact the Waste Management Office at your local authority.

Reporting illegal dumping

Households and businesses are required to dispose of their waste properly through an authorised waste collection provider or by bringing their waste to an authorised waste management facility. 

Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the law and regulations in relation to waste and dumping. 

If you see or suspect someone is illegally dumping their waste, this can be reported to your local authority for investigation. You can also contact the 24-hour National Environmental Complaints Line on 1850 365 121, and they will pass on your report to your local authority or other relevant body. 

Abandoned vehicles

If you suspect a car has been abandoned, you can report this to the local authority who will investigate and, if necessary, have the vehicle removed. 

To make a report, you will need to provide the exact location along with the make, model, and registration of the car (if available). The local authority will investigate and make contact with the registered owner to determine whether the vehicle has been abandoned. They may also put a notice on the car declaring that it is considered abandoned and may be removed.

You can find more information on making a report on the environment or waste section of your local authority website.

Abandoned bicycles

You can also make a report if you believe a bicycle has been abandoned. A bike is usually considered abandoned if it is in poor condition with missing or broken parts, or if it has been left unused for a long time. When making your report, you will need to information on the make and model, the colour, and any other distinguishing features, along with its exact location. 

The local authority will investigate and may place a tag on the bike to let the owner know it may be removed.