Kilmuckridge Councillor Paddy Kavanagh has called for tougher penalties and real enforcement against illegal dumping, saying current efforts are failing both the public and the environment.
Speaking on Morning Mix, Cllr Kavanagh said promises of stronger fines have not materialised. He criticised how data protection laws like GDPR are being used as an excuse not to name and shame offenders:
“GDPR is just a lazy way of doing nothing,” he said, “and it’s letting people dump with impunity.”
Kavanagh contrasted the strict inspections farmers face—including full traceability for waste and livestock—with the lack of accountability for others dumping rubbish or even animal carcasses by the roadside.
“We’ve DNA records for every calf born, yet someone can dump a foal at the side of the road and walk away without trace.”
He described how law-abiding people are being penalised while serial dumpers go unpunished, citing one case where a man was fined for leaving cardboard beside an overflowing recycling unit—caught on camera, yet acting in good faith.
“Meanwhile, people are hurling bags of rubbish out their car windows and getting away with it. It’s costing the Council a fortune and destroying the countryside.”
