On the spot litter fines will be effective anti-letter deterrent, says Lord Mayor

Changes to on-the-spot litter fines will act as a greater deterrent to people littering, the Lord Mayor of Dublin has said.

Councillor Ray McAdam, the Fine Gael candidate in the Dublin Central bye-election, who previously called for increases to the maximum fine earlier this year, has welcomed plans to increase the maximum on the spot fine from €150 to €250.

“When I’ve been out knocking on doors across Dublin Central, the need to tackle littering has often been brought up by residents.

“Volunteers and community groups work incredibly hard to maintain our local areas only to see public spaces spoiled by illegal littering.

“I have long been calling for increased fines for littering. We need to send a clear message that this behaviour is not accepted.

“I want to see a regeneration of our city centre and key to this is cleaning up the city and tackling litter.

“We have seen a huge amount of work in tackling litter in our communities, with extra waste management staff and new litter wardens appointed. Now it’s time to get tougher on people who do litter by increasing the on the spot fine they must pay.

“Littering damages our environment and hurts our communities. Increasing fines shows littering will not be tolerated here in Dublin Central.

“We want Dublin to be a safe, clean city for all to enjoy and increasing the maximum on-the-spot fine is a step in the right direction”, concluded Councillor McAdam.