A total of 581 litter complaints were received by Kerry County Council in the period between January and September of this year.
The number of fines issued was 88, of which 42 have been paid to date and five court convictions were secured.
The court hearings included a successful conviction for dog fouling in September with the judge fining the dog owner €350 for the offence.
63 complaints related to air quality, 221 referred to waste and 98 were based on water quality.
The purchase of drone equipment for enforcement measures is being undertaken by the council as part of the anti-dumping initiatives in locations around the county.
The local authority has been granted €96,000 to implement measures to prevent or discourage dumping and, in addition to the drone monitoring in selected areas, a successful mattress amnesty was also organised and the costs of removing illegally dumped waste was also factored in.
The funds allocated also helped with the purchase of solar powered compact bins and stock items for waste and litter collection and removal.
Kerry County Council has also received confirmation that €25,000 will be available under the anti-litter and anti-graffiti awareness grant scheme.
This allocation will fund eligible projects up to a maximum of 70 per cent with the balance being met by way of local contribution.
Projects eligible for inclusion include:
- Adopt a road, adopt a bring bank and community clean-ups
- Projects highlighting awareness of issues regarding responsible dog ownership with respect to dog fouling clean-up and the dangers that not cleaning up can pose to the public, including young children and wheelchair users
- Plays, puppet shows, interactive workshops, storytelling, talks and art projects mainly aimed at schools
- Anti-litter and anti-graffiti awareness competitions.
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