Fingal County Council has uncovered the locations of 62 illegal 'cash for cars' scrap yards across Dublin with the help of drones and satellite imagery.
The illegal scrap yards that were discovered range in size from 12 to as many as 100 cars in their heap pile.
Illegally disposing of your old car could see you hit with a fine of €100 or even worse, upon summary conviction in a district court, a fine of up to €5,000.
By law, car owners are permitted to get rid of their vehicles at a permitted scrapyard or authorised treatment facility (ATF) while obtaining a certificate of destruction (COD).
Cars not properly disposed of are not taken off the vehicle register and if used illegally or left idle in the yard, will still be registered to the original owner who will be liable for these huge fines.
As a result of their latest findings, the County Council has launched an End of Life Vehicles (ELVES) campaign to raise awareness for motorists.
Senior Engineer in Fingal County Council's Environment and Climate Action Department, Jim Daly, has warned of the dangers of these 'cash for cars' scrap heaps.
He said that hazardous material in cars need to be safely removed without causing pollution and added that there is a fire risk associated with the storing of a large number of cars.
He added that those who operate unauthorised scrap yards are breaking the law and run the risk of being prosecuted under the waste management act.
Speaking about the huge clamp down, Mayor of Fingal Councillor Eoghan O’Brien said: "By recycling End of Life Vehicles (ELVES) we ensure that old car parts including hazardous materials are managed appropriately, protecting our communities and local environment.
"This approach supports the circular economy while saving valuable raw materials for industry.”
Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly added: “A campaign to increase public awareness around End of Life Vehicles is underway.
"This will support the ongoing work of the Environment Section in tackling illegal car breaking yards within Fingal.
"Significant progress has been made to date with several illegal sites closed down contributing towards higher reuse and recovery rates at authorised facilities”.
Further information on End of Life Vehicles is available at ELVES: https://www.elves.ie/How-to-Recycle or by contacting Fingal County Council - Environment Section Tel: 01 8905000, Email: environment@fingal.ie.
