A KILLYLEAGH pensioner has strongly criticised local council chiefs for refusing to lift waste from her Strangford View home, despite her offer to pay for the service.
Newry, Mourne and Down Council offers a bulky waste collection service and for a modest charge of £10, heavy items like old furniture, mattresses, washing machines, fridges and carpets are lifted from outside people’s homes.
Kathleen Quinn — who recently carried out some home improvements — lifted linoleum from her bathroom floor which she cut up and placed in three bin bags, along with some old vinyl tiles and carpet.
She then contacted council officials to pay her £10 to have the waste collected, but the local authority refused to do so.
“One council official told me the waste would contaminate the lorry used to collect household waste as there was some glue on the material, while another suggested I cut up the lino, tiles and carpet into smaller pieces and put them in my black bin.”
The pensioner was left perplexed that after making several telephone calls the council refused to budge.
“One official told me the council did not lift waste in black bin bags which to me is nonsense,” declared Mrs Quinn.
“I was also asked if any of my family members could take the waste away
for me. The council provides a bulky waste collection service which I was more than willing to pay for, but my request was refused. This has left me baffled.”
The pensioner said she has read recent reports of various fly-tipping incidents across the district and has asked if those responsible may have been people whose request for waste to be removed by the local authority was refused.
“If this is the attitude being adopted by the council then perhaps we should not be surprised there are those resorting to fly-tipping. This is something I would not condone, but my question is when is bulky waste not bulky waste?
“Surely if you are prepared to pay your £10, the council should lift the material for you. I believe the fact my waste was in black bin bags is no excuse for not lifting it.”
The pensioner, who lifts rubbish if she sees it on the streets in Killyleagh, removes plastic waste from the Strangford Lough shoreline near her home and regularly weeds a paved area at Strangford View, said she could understand the council’s bulky waste collection policy.
She added: “It seems that since the old Down Council merged with Newry and Mourne, the Killyleagh area has fallen off the map. The new council does nothing for the town in my opinion, but should be doing a more. A clear policy around the bulky waste collection service would be a start.”
Local councillor Billy Walker, who removed Mrs Quinn’s waste for her, said the local authority’s attitude “beggars belief” and confirmed he plans to raise the issue at the next meeting of the the council’s Regulatory and Technical Services Committee.
“Here we have a ratepayer willing to pay for a local authority service, but council officials have rejected the request,” he said.
“It simply does make sense. If the pensioner had rolled up the piece of lino it may well have been collected but because she cut it into pieces and placed them in bin bags it wasn’t.
You could not make this up,” he said.
Cllr Walker added: “Council officials are concerned at fly-tipping across the district and want people to use the bulky waste collection service. But what message is the local authority sending out when it won’t lift three bin bags?
“Here we have a woman willing to pay for the service but was effectively shown the door. It should not have happened.”
A council spokesman said the local authority will be contacting Mrs Quinn with a view to resolving the issue as soon as possible.
He added: “Newry, Mourne and Down Council seeks to deliver, at all times, the highest possible customer service in accordance with our policy.”