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Talking Bottle Banks warn Litter Louts
Added December 20th 2010.

The Irish Independent has reported that local authorities have engaged the services of a leading security company that uses high-tech surveillance technology, to combat littering.

At some bottle banks in Dublin, people who leave cardboard boxes and plastic bags behind get the fright of their life when a voice booms - "This is the council. We see that you are dumping your bags. Please put them back in your car."

TEC Security Services has already 'bagged' 500 offenders in the south Dublin area over the past three months alone. Many have had to pay an on-the-spot fine of €150 - of which €75 goes to the security company.

According to the Irish Independent, the company - with 15 local authority contracts - mounts sophisticated CCTV systems at selected sites. These systems combat illegal dumping by clearly identifying offenders and the registration of their vehicles. Stephen Tyrell, TEC chief executive, says that the quality of video footage produced by the cameras is good enough to be used as evidence in court.

TEC Security has developed a clever system which links a live CCTV system and an amplifier. This allows a remote observer to tell anyone, who is seen about to dump illegally, that they are being watched as well as recorded on camera and that they are liable to be prosecuted.

"When we say to them 'please pick up your rubbish', they generally oblige. This does away with legal and clean-up costs" - adds Mr Tyrell.

The security company boss points out that his system can give councils an edge in the fight against illegal dumping. "When we prevent the rubbish being dumped, councils aren't faced with all the legal costs involved of prosecuting a suspect. And even when councils win these cases, the fines imposed are often less than both the council's legal costs and the price for tidying up" - he says.

"The council has still to collect the illegal rubbish and dispose of it - but, with this proactive system, there is a real, live deterrent. We can actually stop the dumping from taking place and that saves a council's time and money" - he added.

Currently, the cost of cleaning-up litter runs into millions each year. "That money comes out of tax-payers' pockets - it's money that could have been spent on medical or social needs, on hospitals or clinics or other amenities. Why do we have to spend so much just to tidy up our own waste?" Mr Tyrrell said.

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