Crackdown on illegal disposal of waste leading up to Halloween night

Tipperary County Council and Tipperary Fire & Rescue Service are urging members of the public and businesses to be vigilant of bonfires being organised in your local area and not to supply waste material to anybody intending to use it for such purposes.

The call comes in advance of the Halloween period, which traditionally has been used by some people to illegally dispose of waste material on bonfires.
Tips for keeping your areas safe:

• If you see material such as pallets, tyres, old furniture or other combustible materials or waste being hoarded in your area in advance of Halloween, please contact the Environment Section at 0761-06-5000.

• Do not leave materials lying around that could be used in bonfires; items such as petrol, white spirits, diesel, aerosols, batteries, tins of paint, bottles and tyres are especially dangerous if set on fire. Please ensure such materials are stored in a secure location.

• Do not facilitate illegal bonfires or firework displays on or near your home or property.
• Contact the Fire Brigade by calling 999 or 112 if you see a bonfire being lit close to buildings, trees, overhead cables, underground services or car parking areas.

• Keep pets indoors on Halloween night – they are sensitive to noise.

• Explain the dangers of illegal bonfires sites and fireworks to children and teenagers.

• Respect the work of the emergency services, local authorities staff and the gardaí.

• All retailers that sell tyres should ensure no tyres are left out on their premises that could be taken by persons gathering items for bonfires.

• All farmers should ensure all unused tyres from silage pits are secured.

Halloween is one the busiest times of the year for the fire services and responding to bonfire callouts creates a strain on existing resources. In 2016, Tipperary County Council Fire Service responded to 36 incidents over the Halloween period at a cost of €24,000. Substantial costs were also incurred by the Municipal Districts and the Environment Section in removing waste materials and cleaning up the debris after bonfires.

The uncontrolled burning of waste, particularly in bonfires, is illegal and releases toxic pollutants into the air which are known to be damaging to our health and environment. Burning of waste in this manner is illegal under the Air Pollution Act, 1987, and the Waste Management Acts, 1996-2013.