140 tonnes of illegally dumped waste was collected in Kerry last year.
The figures were presented at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council.
It’s an increase of 20% on 2020, when 116 tonnes of fly-tipped waste was collected by council staff and volunteer groups.
Kerry County Council says it plans to carry out spot checks to see where households are dumping their rubbish.
Last year, there were 885 litter complaints made to Kerry County Council; that’s a decrease when compared to 2020, when 1,042 such complaints were made.
121 fines were issued last year and 52 have been paid; in 2020, 93 fines were issued and 35 have been paid.
Kerry County Council removed almost 250 tonnes of litter and waste from beaches during 2021.
The figures show litter wardens and enforcement officers issued 22 dog fouling fines, 17 which were issued on beaches and 13 of these fines have been paid to date.
Independent councillor Charlie Farrelly is calling for a special taskforce to be created to tackle illegal dumping.
He says council staff should be redeployed to help litter wardens:
Complaints can be made to the council’s litter freephone number by contacting 1800 326 228.
