DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL is going to check bin registers in areas with high levels of illegal dumping to target households that may not be disposing of waste correctly.

It’s part of a crackdown on littering, which the council says has become a serious issue.

Dublin’s North Inner City was named the “most littered area in Ireland” in Irish Business Against Litter surveys from 2025 and 2024.

It will now be the subject of a pilot phase of the new ‘reverse register’ project.

Waste collectors will be obliged to keep a record of the Eircodes of those who have a waste collection contract, and they will have to make that information available to the council on request.

Wardens from the council will knock on the doors of homes that don’t have a contract and householders will have to provide evidence of legal and responsible waste disposal.

Dublin City Council’s environment executive Derek Kelly said they’re not trying to “go after” individuals, but they do want them to heed the law on illegal dumping.

“It’s a problem no matter if you’re in the city centre or in the suburbs,” he said.

“If we have a feeling that in certain areas of the city people are widespread illegal dumping, we can seek, through the legislation, lists from the private waste collectors of who their customers are in a designated space. And from that list, we can identify who doesn’t have a collection contract. And then we will do the educational piece with them.”

Kelly said the council is currently ironing out how the project can work under existing laws and data protection restraints.

There may be other areas aside from the north inner city that will be targeted by the project.

Litter wardens will help inform where these are.

The Council has hired six new litter wardens, including a night patrol service to step up enforcement after dark.

So far this year, over 200 people have been issued on-the-spot €150 fines for littering in the city.