Call to axe £10 bulky waste fee

Call to axe £10 bulky waste fee

5 May 2021

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council is being urged to ditch its £10 charge for collecting bulky waste from people’s homes.

Rowallane councillor Billy Walker believes that the move could help reduce the number of illegal dumping incidents across the district which have risen dramatically during lockdown.

Over recent weeks there have been a series of incidents involving old tyres in the Killyleagh, Saintfield, Crossgar, Teconnaught and Ballynahinch areas, with the latest reported incident this week on the Drumcullan Road outside Downpatrick.

The call for the local authority to abandon the £10 bulky waste fee comes after the organisation was asked to dedicate one of its local recycling centres as a base for old tyres.

Cllr Walker believes that suspending the £10 fee as part of a trial period should be considered and expressed concern at new figures which reveal that between April 2019 and March 2020 Newry, Mourne and Down Council spent over £43,000 on removing illegal waste.

In 2020, the local authority received 717 illegal dumping reports compared to 409 in 2019, an increase of 75%.

Between 2018 and 2020, over 1,500 illegal dumping incidents were reported to council officials, 121 incidents reported during the first two months of this year.

Welcoming suggestions for a dedicated centre for old tyres, Cllr Walker said the £43,000 fee to clean up illegal waste comes out of ratepayers’ pockets.

“The recent figures detailing the amount of money councils are spending on removing illegal waste make interesting reading,” he continued.

“For example, Antrim and Newtownabbey Council did not spend a penny so it would be good to know why this is the case and could we in Newry, Mourne and Down learn something about how they deal with this particular issue.”

Cllr Walker said while Newry, Mourne and Down was Northern Ireland’s third largest council, it spent the most on removing illegal waste.

“Clearly we have a major problem in our area and we need to get on top of it. In addition to the cost of removing waste, dumping is harmful to the environment and a blight on the landscape,” he said.

“I know several farmers who cannot put livestock in certain fields as they are targeted by illegal dumpers. Farmers are afraid that the animals would eat the waste and die. That is how serious this situation is.”

Cllr Walker said he was keen for the council to “start with a blank sheet” and take a critical look at how it can finally address the illegal dumping issue with a new strategy.

“Perhaps talking to other councils could provide us with fresh ideas on how to deal with an issue which is getting worse. We have to stop people driving to secluded rural areas to get rid of their waste illegally.

“Why do this when we have three recycling centres in our district and the bulky waste collection service? The mindset of those who do this sort of thing beggars belief. Going forward we need a new strategy to tackle illegal dumping.”

Cllr Walker is also keen for Stormont ministers Naomi Long and Edwin Poots to “beef up” legislation to pave the way for illegal dumpers to be jailed for committing an environmental crime.

He continued: “Law breakers need to feel the full force of the law as what is happening across our district is absolutely disgraceful. The penalty must reflect the seriousness of the crime. The current fines which can be dished out are no deterrent.

“Perhaps if those who dump waste illegally were caught and spent a short time in jail they would think twice about engaging in such behaviour. We need a strong deterrent in place if we are really serious about dealing with an issue which results in a blight on our landscape. Enough is enough.”

Cllr Walker added: “Everyone has a responsibility and a duty of care to make sure their rubbish doesn’t end up being illegally dumped. I am concerned that there are those who care little for the area where they live or the environment for that matter. People who dump their waste illegally must feel the full force of the law.”