Cork council to reopen all Civic Amenity Sites despite Covid-19 spread

Council chief executive Tim Lucey

Cork County Council has backtracked somewhat on a decision to close all its Civic Amenity Sites (CAS) to the public after a number of councillors said this would have a huge impact on people who would otherwise be unable to dispose of food and other perishable waste.

The local authority decided to close the sites after studying new public health measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, which were issued last Friday.

While CAS were not specifically listed as an essential service nationally they would generally require customers to travel more than the restricted 2kms.

Council chief executive Tim Lucey said that during the there had been an 80% increase in the volume of waste being presented to CAS compared with the period before the first control measures were introduced on March 12.

He said people were using the opportunity of school and other workplace closures to clear waste that they had been holding for long periods.

This additional activity caused difficulty in maintaining physical separation to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The council closed all the sites yesterday, but following consultation with officials in its Environment Directorate has decided to reopen them, but only for specific waste and not recyclable materials.

The move was welcomed by Cllrs Marcia D'Alton and Seamus McGrath who said many people were not living on private waste collections routes and had no other way of disposing of the food waste etc than using a CAS.

It is now proposed to reopen them for acceptance of essential waste only under the following conditions which are necessary to provide critical waste management services, while discouraging the making of unnecessary journeys and providing for the safety of staff and the public in compliance with the Health Protection Guidelines:

The service will be provided only for acceptance of essential waste, to discourage unnecessary journeys in compliance with the National Public Health Protection Guidelines. The Civic Amenity Sites will accept normal domestic waste only. This includes black bag waste for disposal, limited to three bags maximum per customer along with domestic bottles and cans for recycling. Black bag waste for disposal should have the bag tied securely and then placed into a second bag and tied before arrival at the CA Site. No commercial vehicles or trailers will be allowed access. Only one person per vehicle can enter the site. All customers must place the waste into the receptacles themselves. Site operatives will not be able to assist. Payment for black bag waste will be on a price of €4.00 per bag. Weighing will not be possible as it increases the handling required. Physical distancing of a minimum 2m must be observed by all customers. As the sites will not be accepting garden waste, timber and metal waste, bulky items, WEEE, oils or paints etc, the normal €3 entry charge will be waived for the period of the current health protection measures being in place. Customers are requested to bring the exact payment for the waste that they are bringing to site.

Civic Amenity Sites will return to their normal operating days and times from tomorrowow, Tuesday, March 31.