By Alan Healy
There are plans for a number of new supervisors to be put in place at a local recycling centre following an investigation by Derry’s council, it can be revealed today.
The plans came to light following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request lodged by the Derry News with Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Last month, the Derry News had asked the council a number of questions regarding concerns relating to practices at a local council recycling centre.
The council did not respond to our question, stating that ‘it was not council policy to comment on staff matters’.
The Derry News then lodged a Freedom of Information (FoI) request with the council, which we received on Thursday, a week after the deadline had passed and after further prompting for the information.
The Derry News had asked if the council had conducted an investigation into the actions of its staff at a number of recycling centres across the council district.
In response, it confirmed that council had ‘conducted an investigation into activity at one recycling centre’.
'No disciplinary action'
We had also asked if the investigation centred on concerns over financial practices regarding the disposal of waste brought to the recycling centres by people from the Republic of Ireland.
The council responded that this was ‘not the focus of the investigation’, and added that ‘no disciplinary action’ was taken as a result of the investigation.
However, it did confirm that plans are in place to create new supervisory posts at the site.
In November, a local councillor has expressed concerns that staff at council’s recycling facility could be tempted to take 'cash incentives' to dispose of rubbish.
Independent councillor Paul Gallagher raised the issue at the November meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council's Assurance, Audit and Risk Committee.
Cllr Gallagher said that the question of differences between waste management in the North and the South of Ireland had been 'brought up on a number of occasions'.
He told the meeting that there was a charge for waste disposal in the south and that there were concerns that waste could ‘end up here because of the charge’.
Cllr Gallagher added that ratepayers in the North could be paying for the disposal of this rubbish.
He then added that there were concerns that staff at council's waste management facilities were at risk of being tempted by 'cash incentives' to dispose of rubbish.
A council officer told Cllr Gallagher that he would refer the issue back to the Waste and Environmental Manager.
A report was brought back to council earlier this year which showed that 12 per cent of the vehicles using the Pennyburn recycling centre were from across the border, which was 1,442 cars out of a total of 9,934.
The report also showed the same result, 12 per cent, for the Brandywell recycling facility, where, out of 9,998 recorded vehicles, 1,290 were from the Republic of Ireland.
Meanwhile, the same report showed that only one percent of the vehicles using the council’s civic amenity site at the Glendermott Road were from across the border, with 189 southern registered vehicles recorded amongst the 9,995 vehicles which accessed the site.
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