COMMUNITY NOTES: BALLYHUANIS - WESTERN PEOPLE (MARCH 31 EDITION)
Mayo County Council has opened a public consultation on plans to introduce a pilot CCTV scheme to tackle illegal dumping and littering in Ballyhaunis.
Cameras will be operative once again in the bottle bank area at a carpark located adjacent to St Gerard’s Crescent. The cameras will be overseen by a new Mayo County Council CCTV oversight committee which met in February and which will accept proposals for other CCTV schemes across the county.
CCTV has been an important tool for local authorities to identify illegal dumping under the Litter Pollution Act and the Waste Management Act. However, the use of CCTV for detecting illegal dumping was stalled for several years while local authorities drew up codes of practise to ensure the use of CCTV and drones for the detection of illegal dumping would be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In recent years, household waste has on occasion piled up at the bottle banks, causing much irritation locally. A similar problem forced the exit from Ballyhaunis in 2024 of the Big Bin facility which allowed users without a bin service to drop their waste and recyclables for a fee. Fly tipping at the facility required constant cleaning, making business unviable.
Locals are encouraged to share their views on the proposed scheme. Submissions can be posted to the Environment Section, Mayo Co Council, The Mall, Castlebar or emailed to environment@mayococo.ie until 5pm on April 10.
