Illegal dumping in Derry & Strabane cost £70,000 last year

The Council has also advised that any restrictions introduced on the disposal of commercial waste and/ or waste from non-residents using Recycling Sites may lead to a spike in flytipping activity.

In a report presented to Councillors at a special Environment & Regeneration Committee meeting this week, it was detailed how the recent forced closure of Recycling Sites brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in fly-tipping incidents.

At present around 10% of the 30,000 tonnes of waste brought to recycling centres comes via vehicles registered in the Republic, with a further 4,000 tonnes of waste originating from commercial settings.

Councillors were told that if restrictions are introduced on both of these sources that that is potentially 7,000 tonnes of waste that will need to be disposed of elsewhere,and if that amount was fly-topped it would cost £196,000.

DUP Alderman David Ramsey said he was sceptical that all those mentioned would then turn to fly-tipping. “This whole meeting is really about saving money for the rate payers who are going to face a lot of issues next year; it’s about fairness, it’s about people from outside this jurisdiction who are not paying rates into this Council area, that a policy is brought forward to deal with this, for a charge or whatever.”

He said based on the figures, a £5 charge per car for non residents would result in £150,000 for the Council.

Sinn Féin Colr. Christopher Jackson said the real number of cars coming from the Republic were nowhere near 10%, while commercial waste is a separate issue.

“Placing barriers and access to services will result in an increase in flytipping, which will lead to further costs to our rate payers. The damage fly-tipping does to our environment, our countryside is something we should all take into consideration.”

DUP Ald. Ryan McCready agreed that displacing waste would clearly still be an issue, but the Council had a duty to look after its rate-payers.

SDLP Colr. John Boyle said that Council had a moral responsibility to the environment within the Council area and beyond it.

People Before Profit Colr. Eamonn McCann said the Council should also be talking about the amount of rubbish from this area dumped elsewhere. “Has anybody checked about the amount of rubbish from Derry dumped around Buncrana, because you might be surprised?”

SDLP Colr. Mary Durkan said the Climate Emergency pledge passed by the Council had to be considered at every level, and the impact on rural communities were illegal dumping normally takes place.

Sinn Féin Colr. Paul Fleming said those a Donegal reg could be people from the area dumping rubbish for relatives in Derry or Strabane as there are so many families with members living on both sides of the border.

Independent Colr. Sean Carr said the majority of people in RoI cars probably work in the Derry & Strabane area and pay their taxes in the north.

UUP Colr. Andrew McKane said it was important to look at how you change the mindset of someone who is flytipping. “I think we maybe need to look at making recycling centres more accessible and user friendly.”

Chairing the meeting, DUP Ald. Maurice Devenney said it was galling that there was a free facility for waste and lifting bulky waste available and then people were fly-tipping.

He added that as the financial crisis tightened, finance was going to be very difficult.

“It’s a can of worms that has opened here today and I think we have to grasp the mettle,” he said.