Galway County Council is installing spy-type cameras at recycling centres in an effort to catch drive-by dumpers who are abusing many of the county's bring banks.
The council has been forced to remove a number of bottle banks, some temporarily, that had serviced different towns, because the problem of illegal dumping had soared out of control.
Two such instances were in Mountbellew and Athenry where bags and boxes overflowing with domestic rubbish were strewn behind and around the bottle banks. Other picturesque towns about the county have encountered similar problems.
In Monivea, one of Galway's tidiest towns, dumping at the bring centres has been on the increase.
Monivea community activist Pádraig McGann said that locals were "shocked" by the amount of rubbish being dumped at the bring banks near the woods. He said they have taken some preventive measures but believed that CCTV (closed-circuit television) was the way to go.
"It's been happening on and off," he said, "but in recent weeks the dumping has got very bad. It's very hard for us to maintain the area."
Despite appeals from the council, community groups and even the watchful eye of neighbourhood-watch schemes, the dumping continues in many Galway towns.
Now the council is clamping down on the problem and will try to catch the culprits on camera. CCTV cameras are being installed at a number of bring bank centres as part of a new pilot project.
Last year, more than 2,000 tonnes of glass were diverted from landfill, which the council said showed the great response to recycling from the public. However the council appealed to the minority who left bags of domestic waste at the sites to stop.
"This ruins the amenity for other people in the community," the council said. "CCTV cameras are being installed at problem sites on a pilot basis and it's anticipated that this will be extended throughout the county in the near future."
All of the contents of the glass bring banks are collected by Rehab Recycling. The illegal dumping is an issue for Rehab also - it can make emptying the containers more difficult.
Despite the council's best efforts to monitor the problem sites with the help of community wardens, the dumping persists.