Dublin hiker Tom Hulton (59) and the Wayfarers Walking Group have found tyres, traffic cones, paint, computer materials, bottles, sleeping bags and tents, electrical waste and fast gas (nitrous oxide) cans left in the South Dublin uplands. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dublin Mountains are a great facility\u2026 the Dublin Mountain Way and the facilities along there\u2026 right beside the city, they\u2019re really good,\u201c he is keen to point out. \u201dIt\u2019s disappointing when you see rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we try is not to take it too much to heart,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
An estimated 40 tonnes \u2013 or 40,000kg \u2013 of dumped rubbish was collected from the Dublin uplands last year, according to an organisation which monitors fly-tipping in the scenic area.<\/p>\n
Ian Davis, manager of Pure (Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments), told The Irish Times it had recorded 382 sites of illegal dumping in 2025, with volunteer-led clean-ups following afterwards. <\/p>\n
[\u00a0Garda\u00ed fine driver \u20ac150 for illegal dumping in Dublin mountainsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Construction rubble and household and landscaping waste, along with 14 mattresses, two washing machines, three fridges, a cooker, seven microwaves and three TVs were all dumped along roadsides, woodlands, valleys and car parks in the Dublin Mountains and surrounding areas, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Pure truck is in the Dublin uplands every week,\u201d Davis says, responding to reports of dumping from the general public and from Wicklow County Council<\/a>, South Dublin County Council<\/a>, D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council<\/a>, Coillte<\/a>, the National Parks and Wildlife Service<\/a>, Dublin Mountains Partnership, and Pure Mile volunteers. <\/p>\n The Pure Mile is a community initiative that encourages communities and groups living in and using the uplands to adopt a mile of roadway and to keep that area litter-free.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost all rural roads in the south Dublin uplands are involved in the Pure Mile,\u201d Davis says. \u201cIn 2025, Pure Mile groups removed over 900 bags of rubbish and litter from the south Dublin uplands, with over 350 people participating in clean-up events, with an estimated 4,500kg of waste collected by the Pure truck.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is vital that we continue to monitor the situation and ensure that we remove illegal dumping quickly from the landscape \u2013 because we know that dumping causes [more] dumping.\u201d<\/p>\n For one volunteer clean-up group at Cruagh Woods in the Dublin Mountains, discarded fast gas cans, balloons and fast food wrappers are regular finds.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce we came across a box of 18 nitrous oxide cans and balloons,\u201d says Ruth Murphy (50), of the Irish Ramblers Club, \u201cbecause what they do is they sniff it and they get high, and then they just leave them there. They\u2019re quite heavy, so if they\u2019re on the side of the road you have to drive along to get them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last time we did a litter-pick, we picked about 30 cans within a mile area.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was disappointing, because before Halloween we started to notice a difference for the better, but Halloween was brutal \u2013 people just arrived, had their meal, and left their fast food-outlet wrapping behind,\u201d explains Murphy, whose group also teams up with members of the Dublin Hillwalkers.<\/p>\n A metre-high stuffed gorilla was one of the group\u2019s more unusual finds in the uplands, according to Murphy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can get exasperating at times. You could pick and have it clean, but then when you come back there\u2019s rubbish on it again.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds: \u201cA lady who passed away this year who was 90 used to [clear rubbish] with us and she drove herself there, which is really impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n The group also follows Mountaineering Ireland\u2019s \u201cone from the hills\u201d initiative, taking a small piece of rubbish from the landscape when possible on hikes.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it\u2019s small, and we have a plastic bag or a bread cover, if we see something that can be carried, we\u2019ll bring it with us. Sometimes we\u2019d take bigger things like pillows and bring them down as well,\u201d Hulton says. <\/p>\n D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, which is responsible for amenities including Ticknock Forest Park, said no prosecutions were taken by the council in 2025 for illegal dumping. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Coillte, the largest landowner in Ireland, said it is working closely with garda\u00ed<\/a> and local authorities to address the continuing issue. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Over 1,600 firms sign up to scheme to prevent dumping of old tyresOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cTo help deter and monitor illegal dumping, Coillte installs signs, barriers and CCTV at known illegal dumping hotspots across its forest estate,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n \u201cMany of our forests are in remote areas in rural Ireland, and unfortunately in recent times we have seen many instances of illegal dumping on our lands.\u201d <\/p>\n In recent years, Coillte has spent more than \u20ac2 million on clean-up operations and disposing of illegal waste dumped in its forests. <\/p>\n The spokesperson added: \u201cIllegal dumping causes serious problems to habitats, species, waters, soils and human health. It can pollute rivers and drinking water sources, damage biodiversity, and is a threat to both the people who live in the area and to forest recreational users. It also poses risks to Coillte staff who have to remove this illegally dumped material.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council said almost all rural roads in the south Dublin uplands are part of the pure mile initiative. <\/p>\n Almost \u20ac3 million was provided last year by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment<\/a> to local authorities under the anti-dumping scheme (ADI) to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, community groups and other State agencies to tackle illegal dumping, according to a department spokesperson.<\/p>\n She explained: \u201cFunding provided under the ADI can be utilised by local authorities to organise clean-ups, purchase CCTV and other mobile recording equipment and put in place effective enforcement measures. It is a matter for the local authorities to apply for this funding through the waste enforcement regional lead authorities, who administer the scheme on behalf of the department.\u201d<\/p>\n The department also provides funding of \u20ac145,000 to the Pure Project each year to address illegal dumping in the Wicklow and Dublin Mountains.<\/p>\n