‘Furious’ Tyrone residents face bin collection delays

RESIDENTS from across the district have spoken out in fury at the non-collection of bins, with some households reporting waits of up to six weeks.

People living in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area have said that this six-week wait for brown bins to be lifted is unacceptable. Others told the Tyrone Herald, that they have been waiting for up to four weeks for black bin collections.

Omagh resident Eoin Boyle explained, “It’s been six weeks with no brown bin collection. The council does not seem to have acknowledged this. This is an issue for all local ratepayers who are furious that their brown bins have not been collected for weeks (and) months now.”

Greencaste is another area where refuse collection has not taken place in subsequent weeks.

Local resident Louise Coyle remarked, “The council did not collect black bins last week and blue bins the week before in Greencastle. They told me it is staff shortages!”

Another man remarked, “Will we see a reduction of our rates with these collections not being done?”

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council raised rates this year by 5.59 per-cent for householders and 7.45 per-cent for businesses.

The council said the increases were due to ‘external financial pressures’. However a spokesperson this week confirmed that the current issues with bin collection is not due to planned reductions.

In a statement to the Tyrone Herald the spokesperson said, “The increase in the rates for 2023-2024 was due to ongoing significant external financial pressures including the cost of living and the cost of providing the statutory and core services of the council.

“The current issues in relation to bin collections are operational and due to staff pressures and they are not a planned reduction in service by the council.”

Moreover, the local authority has increasingly come under fire after several recycling centres closed at short notice. These closures occurred in Omagh, Greencastle, Dromore and Fintona.

The spokesperson for the council continued, “The council is currently facing ongoing operational issues including staffing pressures which are disrupting the bin collection service. The council would remind residents that additional waste can be taken to their nearest recycling centre and food waste can be disposed of at Drummee (Enniskillen), Irvinestown, Gortrush (Omagh), Carrickmore, Dromore and Fintona recycling centres.

“If a resident has no transport, it would be hoped that a neighbour or family member would be able to assist.

“Recycling centres in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area are fully operational with occasional closures, however, these closures are notified on the council’s social media channels and website.”