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Inishowen to lose free
recycling
27.05.08
Fears of toxic
bonfires and illegal dumping:
FEARS are rife that the Inishowen environment will
be destroyed by fly-tipping and toxic bonfires due
to the axing of free paper and plastics recycling at
the Carndonagh Civic Amenity Site soon.
The site is to undergo construction works due to
start next month and during that time the centre
will stop taking paper and plastics for recycling -
a service that won't resume when the upgrade works
are completed around September.
The centre will continue taking cardboard, glass,
cans and tins, textiles, waste electrical and
electronic equipment, batteries, fluorescent tubes,
books and other bulky goods. |
But it's understood
that, come September, people will have to pay a fee
to use the peninsula's newly upgraded Civic Amenity
Site.
One concerned consumer, Paul McGonigle who lives in
the Carndonagh area, said the introduction of a fee
to use the recycling centre and the axing of the
paper and plastics banks |
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from the centre
altogether, will be devastating for the Inishowen
countryside.
"My biggest worry is that we are going to go back to
the bad old days of fly-tipping and burning and the
countryside will be ruined," said Mr. McGonigle.
"It took a long time to change the Inishowen psyche
to support recycling and now, when it's like second
nature to people, they're going to have to pay. The
free service was a great incentive to recycle and
now they are going to take it away and undo all that
good work."
Inishowen councillor Marian McDonald also fears that
some people will resort to illegal dumping and
burning waste, a practise that is also outlawed.
"I would be afraid people will dump their waste or
light illegal bonfires that would be noxious for
themselves and the countryside. People are not going
to pay €11 to put out their black bin one week and
then turn around the next week and pay €11 to put
out their blue one." Cllr. McDonald said the
Carndonagh Civic Amenity Centre was the last one in
Donegal taking paper and plastics.
She said while she advocated a free recycling
service, where possible, the site was free for such
a long time, a fee was inevitable.
"I understand it will be a small charge but I will
be pushing for it to be very nominal because people
are already spending money on petrol and diesel
getting there." She said she understood the new
paid-for system may come in the form of tickets that
can be purchased prior to travelling to the Carn
centre.
A Donegal County Council statement yesterday
confirmed that the recycling facilities would be
curtailed this summer for a period of around four
months for the upgrade estimated to start on June 1.
The services to be withdrawn are paper recycling;
plastic recycling; tetrapak recycling and oil
recycling while the domestic waste disposal service
will be withdrawn completely.
"An alternative recycling service is available to
all households in Inishowen from Logan Waste using
the blue bin service. This service provides a
kerbside collection of papers, plastics, tetrapak
and cans/tins,” the statement added |
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