Litter Control

Litter Control & Tidy Towns:

Longford County Council now have a new Litter Reporting Service by Lo-Call Number. This is to facilitate reporting of incidences of littering witnessed by the public. The service is on a voice mail which will be checked every day by environment staff and all reports will be investigated. It is hoped that where necessary members of the public will be prepared to give evidence which will lead to a conviction in the courts. This Lo-Call Number should not be used to report serious incidences of pollution which require immediate attention. You will be asked to state your name and contact phone number and state concisely your complaint.

LITTER HOT LINE: 1800 434 450

We also have a dedicated Litter reporting email address Litter Control 

Significant progress has been made by Longford County Council in the battle against Litter Polluters over the last number of years. Section 9 notices are a useful tool in the fight against litter as they require the offender to remove the waste which they deposited illegally or face legal action.

Litter pollution act 1997 amended by the Waste Management(Amendment) Act, 2001 and Part 4 of the Protection of the Environment Act 2003 Information :

Leaving or throwing litter in a public place is an offence which can be subject to an "on the spot fine" of  €150 and a maximum fine on indictment for litter offences of €125,000. A person convicted of a litter offence may be required by the Court to pay the Council's costs and expenses in investigating the offence and in bringing the prosecution.


Public Places:

If you are the owner or the person responsible for a place to which the public has access you are obliged to keep the place litter free, regardless of how the litter got there. This applies to any public place which may include the precincts of a shopping centre, a school, a public park, a train or bus station.

Private Property:

The owner or occupier of property which can be seen from a public place is obliged to keep it free of litter. Basically any outdoor area on your property that is visible from a public place must be kept free of litter. Where litter has accumulated on property for whatever reason and the litter is visible from a public place, the local authority can issue a notice to the owner requiring the prompt removal of the litter.

Dog Fouling:

Dog owners must remove their pets waste from public places and dispose of it in a proper manner. This obligation applies to the following places:

  • Public Roads & Foothpaths.
  • Areas around shopping centres.
  • School & Sport Grounds
  • Beaches.
  • The Immediate Area Surrounding Another Persons House.

Posters & Signs:

The law forbids the putting up of signs/posters on poles or on other structures in public places unless you have written permission of the owner of the pole or other structure in advance of putting up the posters /signs. Longford County Council also requests prior notification of any temporary signage to be erected.

2017_05_10_Signs-Policy-Document.doc (size 268.8 KB)
Temporary Signage Permit Application Form 

Longford Litter Management Plan:

Longford County Council are in the process of preparing a Litter Management Plan under the Litter Pollution Act 1997. This plan has to be reviewed every three years. The plan sets out the objectives to prevent and control litter as well as measures to encourage public awareness. The plan also sets out the measures and arrangements by which these objectives can be achieved. A draft copy of the plan is to go before the S.P.C committee and if approved the consultation process will begin with local community and voluntary interest groups. After this the Draft Litter Management plan will go before the County Council Members for adoption. A summary of the Plan will be prepared and will be placed on this site and a copy will be available to the public on request.

Litter Awareness:

A new litter awareness programme is to be introduced which will see both County Councils and local interest groups coming together to combat the growing problem of litter in the county. An Information leaflet called "LITTER AND THE LAW" know your responsibilities for taking action against litter is available please visit the 'form & document' download section

Drug Related Litter

An information leaflet ‘A helpful best practice guide for Drug Litter disposal’ is available to download from our website containing all the information you will need in relation to who to contact and what to do should you come across drug related litter.

A4-Drugs-Poster_.pdf (size 900.2 KB)

A5-Info-Booklet-(-front-&-back-)__.pdf (size 914.4 KB)

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