Hefty fine for Limerick man who 'mistakenly believed' he was entitled to dump on street

A FATHER-of-five has been fined €1,750 after he admitted a number of littering offences.

Timmy Casey, who has an address at Clonlong, Southill, Limerick appeared before Judge Catherine Ryan at Limerick District Court in relation to two offences that occurred near his home earlier this year.

Giving evidence in relation to the first incident, which occurred on January 27, 2025 a local authority officer said waste from Mr Casey’s home was “thrown from the back of a van”.

While there is CCTV footage of the incident, Judge Ryan was told it’s not possible to say exactly what was dumped but that the defendant is identifiable.

A €150 fine was subsequently issued to Mr Casey but was never paid.

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Solicitor Will Leahy, representing Limerick City and County Council said the second dumping offence occurred at the same location on March 4, 2025.

Judge Ryan was told that CCTV footage showed a “large wheelie bin” being taken from the defendant’s property and “tipped over” on the side of the road before being returned to the house.

Barrister Nicholas Hall said his client, who is a council tenant, “mistakenly believed” that he was allowed to leave rubbish on the side of the road for collection without it being inside a wheelie bin.

He added that his client is “profusely apologetic” and he asked the court to note his personal circumstances.
“There are a lot of costs associated with young children,” he said.

Noting that Mr Casey works as a steam-cleaner, Judge Ryan said she could not accept that he was unaware of the rules regarding the proper disposal of waste.

“Bins should never be dumped onto the street, so it's hard to believe he didn’t understand.... it’s a bit ironic someone in the cleaning business would engage in dumping,” she said adding the rubbish represents a health hazard, attracts rodents and is unsightly.

The judge imposed fines totalling €1,750 and she directed Mr Casey to pay a contribution of €1,430 towards the costs incurred by the local authority.