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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
Carndonagh Civic Amenity Site
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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