Councils consider opening recycling centres

The three local authorities that cover the county – Fermanagh and Omagh, Mid Ulster and Derry City and Strabane – are studying non-statutory guidance published by Environment Minister Edwin Poots to help them decide on any changes to waste services.

The Minister said he had written to the council chiefs with a set of five key principles that they could apply when considering if it was safe to re-open their household recycling facilities.

With civic amenity sites and recycling centres across Tyrone closed amid the Covid-19 pandemic, local residents have raised their concerns about the large amount of household waste that is accumulating due to spending much more time at home.

As the dumps are still out-of-bounds, many have pointed to a rise in fly-tipping incidents in recent weeks, with burning rubbish being blamed for some of the gorse fires in the county.

A source told the Tyrone Herald that the “first tentative steps” to re-open the facilities were being taken behind the scenes at Fermanagh and Omagh, but the mood of the council was “not to rush”.

An FODC spokesperson confirmed that, in the light of the guidance published by Mr Poots, it was currently assessing the re-opening of its centres in this context.

Mid Ulster District Council, which covers Dungannon and Cookstown, said that the situation regarding its sites remained “under review”.

A spokesperson said, “They closed to allow us to re-deploy staff to priority services in line with our commitment to keep essential services operating for as long as possible, and given the context of essential travel restrictions and social distancing requirements.”

In the north of the county, Derry City and Strabane District Council said it was committed to opening household recycling centres in a controlled and measured way as soon as it was safe to do so and it was expected that this could happen “in the coming weeks”.

Meanwhile, elected members of Derry City and Strabane District Council have also agreed to reinstate its Bulky Waste Collection service from this week. It helps residents dispose of large items, such as bulky furniture, carpets and electrical appliances, from their home.