Kildare County Council scores highly in EPA environmental enforcement report

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today (October 23) published its report on the environmental enforcement performance of local authorities in 2024. 

The report shows that the scale of environmental enforcement work carried out by local authorities in 2024 was extensive. 

Across the 31 local authorities, 630 staff:

• conducted 227,400 environmental inspections,

• regulated 10,700 licences, permits and certificates,

• responded to 76,500 complaints,

• carried out 18,050 enforcement actions and

• initiated 414 prosecutions.

The report found that local authorities have made strong progress in enforcing environmental regulations over the past three years. The report highlights improvements in areas such as tackling illegal waste activities and the enforcement of construction and demolition waste.

However, it also points to the need for increased focus on water, air and noise enforcement to fully deliver on the National Enforcement Priorities. The findings underscore both the achievements to date and the ongoing challenges in delivering consistent and effective enforcement action across the country.

The EPA’s performance review found that:

• Six local authorities achieved high performance scores in 2024. These were Meath, Dublin City, South Dublin, Kildare, Fingal and Cork City Councils.

• Three further local authorities consistently achieved good performance scores over the past three years: Monaghan, Carlow and Cork County Councils.

• The five lowest performing local authorities were Leitrim, Galway City, Sligo, Clare and Donegal.

Speaking on the findings of the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Strong enforcement of environmental laws is essential to detect pollution and ensure that those who break the rules are held responsible. Local authorities play a vital role in safeguarding our environment — especially when enforcement is prioritised and supported with the right resources.

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“This report shows that most local authorities are responding to the challenge, but some such as Leitrim, Galway City, Sligo, Clare and Donegal are lagging behind and need to do better. Keeping up momentum is crucial to fully deliver on the National Enforcement Priorities and to protect our environment.”

 Dr. Mick Henry, Senior Inspector in the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said:

“Local authorities are making solid progress in waste enforcement, especially in tackling illegal activities and managing construction and demolition waste. However, enforcement in water, air and noise is showing slower progress.

“Agricultural run-off, trade effluent, solid fuel burning and traffic noise continue to harm the environment and public health. We are urging local authorities to strengthen their efforts in these areas to ensure a cleaner, healthier environment for all.”

The Local Authority Environmental Enforcement Performance Report 2024 is available on the EPA website.