Review of dumping bin bags at recycling centres

Review of dumping bin bags at recycling centres

21 November 2018

TAKING black bin bags full of unsorted waste to any of the district’s three household recycling centres could be banned under radical new proposals being considered by Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

Local authority officials have been carrying out an in-depth review of the operation and management of the centres in Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch and seven others in the former Newry and Mourne Council area.

Details of the review were outlined at a meeting in Newry last night when it was confirmed that almost 4,400 tonnes of waste are taken to the district’s three recycling centres each year.

Members of the local authority’s Regulatory and Technical Services Committee were also told that the organisation is legally obliged to provide dedicated centres for household waste which are free to use.

The local centres are viewed as key weapons in the council’s battle to reduce waste to meet a directive to recycle 50 per cent of all waste generated across the district by 2020.

Given the fact that this is just over 14 months away, the review of the current operation and management of the household recycling centres was ordered.

A £100,000 budget is also being set aside to improve the operations at all the local authority’s recycling centres and to finance a new communications strategy. The council also hopes to acquire match funding from central government.

Among the key issues identified by council officials is either restricting or banning altogether unsorted black bin bag waste. Thousands of people regularly empty a variety waste into the bin bags and take them to the recycling centres. But that could be about to change.

Council officials also want to vigorously challenge the perception that the centres are viewed by many as “dumps” and reinforce the message that they are for recycled waste only.

They say the misuse of the centres has potential cost implications for the authority, with the review examining detailed guidelines and systems which are required for what is being described as the “proper operation” of the recycling centres.

The review examined entrance policies and a potential restriction or complete ban on large vans using the centres with a daily restriction on the amount of waste the facilities can receive.

There is also growing concern at senior management level that a significant amount of the waste being taken to recycling centres ends up in the general waste stream as it cannot be recycled. Council officials say addressing this issue will cut costs and produce savings.

Last night, politicians were asked for permission to complete a detailed report on the way forward, based on the evidence gathered during the review process, with a particular focus on centre opening hours and staffing levels that must be achieved at no extra cost.

Councillors were told the report will also make a recommendation to harmonise policies and procedures across all current recycling centres in the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area.

Over recent months, local politicians have expressed concern at a number of fly-tipping and illegal dumping incidents across the district, with several taking place within a stone’s throw of the Cloonagh Road facility in Downpatrick.

This particular facility has long since passed its sell-by-date with work on a £1m replacement at the nearby Flying Horse Road currently underway. It is expected to open in the New Year.