Recycling centres in Omagh and Carrickmore to reopen

THE recycling centres in Omagh and Carrickmore will be partially re-opened by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council this coming Monday, May 18 to facilitate the disposal of essential waste for residents.

They will be among four across the district which will be re-open following confirmation from the Northern Ireland Executive that travel to and from a Recycling Centre was an approved journey under the regulations

The four household recycling centres will be open to the general public to dispose of household black bagged waste and bagged gardening waste only.  

Access to all sites will be restricted to cars only, with one occupant per car. No vans or trailers will be permitted on either site. People must follow 2 metre social distancing from other site users and site staff at all times.

The opening hours to members of the public, applicable from Monday 18 May 2020 for the various sites are as follows:

Gortrush:    Mon-Fri 10.00am–4.00pm      Sat  10.00am–4.15pm

Drummee:   Mon-Fri 10.00am–4.45pm     Sat 10.00am-4.15pm

Carrickmore: Mon–Fri 11.00am–5.45pm    Sat   11.00am–3.45pm

Kesh: Mon – Wed, Fri 10.00am–6.00pm    Sat  10.00am–5.30pm  Closed Thur

In addition, Gortrush will be open from 8.30am – 10am and Drummee from 9am -10am Mon-Fri to facilitate the disposal of essential business and commercial waste only. Access to the sites for business and commercial users will be strictly by appointment. Time slots can be pre-booked by contacting waste and recycling services at 0300 303 1777.

Members of the public should avoid both sites until after 10am to ensure that the commercial vehicles can enter and exit both Gortrush and Drummee sites safely.

All visitors to the sites will be required to follow traffic management controls put in place to manage the safe disposal of waste. Visitors to the sites should bring their own gloves and use hand sanitizer provided. Bins will be available at the exit to dispose of gloves safely.

Anyone who is shielding or self-isolating should not visit the Civic Amenity sites under any circumstances.

Speaking about the decision to partially reopen the four sites initially, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Siobhán Currie said;  

“The Council took the decision to close its civic amenity sites and household recycling centres based on advice provided by the government and the Public Health Agency with regard to staying at home and saving lives. The decision to implement a partial phased reopening of our waste facilities to the general public, commencing with the Civic Amenity sites at Gortrush and Drummee, and the Household Recycling Centres in Carrickmore and Kesh was taken following clarification from the Executive that travel to recycling centres was deemed an appropriate reason to travel.

“A number of restrictions will be in place on site to ensure the safety of Council staff and those visiting the facility. This may result in longer wait times than normal and I would ask that visitors to the sites have patience and always follow the rules of admission to the civic amenity sites to ensure the health and safety of everyone.

“I would also ask that residents only visit the Civic Amenity sites if it is absolutely necessary and combine your visit with other activities such as grocery shopping to limit travel.”

The Council is currently putting plans in place to extend the phased reopening of its Household Recycling Centres over the coming weeks, subject to appropriate government guidance being in place. 

Further details of the reopening of other Household Recycling Centres across the district will be available on the Council’s website at www.fermanaghomagh.com and the Council’s social media channels.