Local authorities target illegal car dumps

ILLEGAL CAR dismantlers are being targeted by local authorities who have resorted to the use of helicopters and even satellite images in a bid to stamp out a recent rise in unauthorised dealing in car parts.

Significant rises in the cost of metal and car parts have led to an increase in the number of illegal car dismantlers, with consequent concern that end-of-life vehicles are not being taken to industry-backed authorised treatment facilities (ATFs).

In Co Cork for example, a recent investigation revealed 127 unauthorised vehicle dumps compared to just five authorised ones. While some of the dumps represented just six or seven cars dumped in a field, the council said others numbered up to 3,000 dumped vehicles.

The Environmental protection Agency (EPA) has told local authorities they can use the Waste Management Act to see penalties of up to 15 years in prison imposed alongside fines of €12million for cases taken to the High Court.

While car manufactures have been required for two years to establish ATFs where individuals can bring cars to be recycled for free, local authorities and the EPA are concerned that unscrupulous operators are still dealing in parts which have a ready second hand market.

The State agencies are concerned that engine fluids, fuels and battery acids are doing significant damage to watercourses and soils when cars are stripped for valuable bits.

Nicholas Bond of Cork Council told a recent Environment Ireland conference in Croke Park that the council had hired helicopters to detect illegal waste activity.

He told Motors that the helicopter flights were particularly useful to access remote farms, and places where officials may feel intimidated going.