Waterford Council is one of 13 local authorities which failed to issue a single fine for dog fouling last year.
A nationwide survey conducted by the Sunday Times found that only 61 penalties were handed out to people who failed to clean up after their pets, and more than one-third of those were not paid.
Councils have blamed problems with detection and witnesses for the inaction.
A dog warden must witness the animal deposting faeces and the owner failing to remove them, or else a member of the public must supply a witness statement.
The issue was raised at a recent meeting of Dungarvan and Lismore District Council
Fianna Fail Councillor James Tobin said he believed CCTV cameras were the answer to detecting offenders, but queried the affordability of them.
The Council's Senior Executive Officer for the Environment Ray Moloney said dog fouling was 'the scourge' of communities and that until dog owners took pride in their areas, the problem would not go away.
