Consultation on plans to reduce opening hours across Mid Ulster's recycling centres

The 12-week consultation is open until Friday July 5, with proposals for a reduction in opening hours across the eleven Recycling Centres operated by the Council as follows:

- Cookstown, Drumcoo, and Magherafelt HWRCs would open two evenings in the summer instead of three evenings.

- Coalisland and Moneymore HWRCs would open one evening in the summer instead of two evenings.

- Maghera HWRC would open four weekdays as well as a half day on a Saturday.

- Castledawson, Draperstown, Fivemiletown, Tullyvar, and Ballymacombs HWRCs would open three weekdays as well as a half day Saturday.

A Council spokesperson explained that while the above proposal represents an overall reduction in site opening hours, a balanced approach has been taken to ensure that provision is available on every weekday across particular areas as far as possible.

For example, in the Clogher Valley area, it is proposed that when the site at Fivemiletown is closed on Tuesday and Thursday, the nearest site at Tullyvar will be open, and vice versa on Monday and Wednesday.

The consultation questionnaire is available at www.midulstercouncil.org/RecyclingCentreConsultation

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Dominic Molloy is encouraging everyone to give their views. ““We want to know what people think of our pragmatic proposals that make savings but also minimise any impact on residents. As a Council, we’re doing what we can to make services as efficient as possible, but the growing pressures mean we have to make tough decisions like the ones put forward here.”