THE closure at short notice of the ‘civic amenity site’ in Bandon, seven times over the past three months has become all too common sight, according to a Bandon-based councillor.
Cllr Gillian Coughlan (FF), at a meeting of the local authority, called for the Council to employ more staff at the facility – which takes in recycling waste – to ensure it remains open at allotted times.
‘On Saturday, September 5th, with very little notice, the recycling centre in Bandon was closed on what would be a normal day for people to fill up their boot and drop off their recyclables,’ she said.
‘The centre is normally closed Wednesdays but it was also closed July 23rd, July 30th, August 10th and 17th, September 5th, 10th and 11th.’
Cllr Coughlan said the people of Bandon and the surrounding areas are left frustrated – particularly when they have their cars full up with recyclables and they have nowhere to deposit them. ‘We’ve spoken of the importance of recycling and the problems with dumping, and we need more staff and to ensure they are ready and that we have stand-bys available.’
She said it’s not fair to be ‘chopping and changing times’ at short notice and that it’s managed well.
Council chief executive Tim Lucey acknowledged that there had been some interruption, not just in Bandon, but at the Clonakilty facility too, and others as well.
Earlier, a Council spokesperson told The Southern Star that ‘the outbreak of the pandemic has seen a huge increase in visitor numbers and waste, and has further had a major impact on the availability of relief staff to maintain minimum safe cover at a time when the Council is prioritising delayed road maintenance programmes and towns activation measures.’
Meanwhile, residents in Dunmanway are having to bring recyclables to other civic amenity sites in Bandon, Clonakilty and Skibbereen, because Dunmanway service has been suspended. Councillors were told that the service provider suspended the service due to ‘contamination within the recyclables.’
