Bin lorry mechanics are "at the end of their tether" trying to keep an ageing fleet of vehicles on the road, a councillor is warning.
And Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) chiefs have been told they face a multi-million pound investment to bring the waste collection lorries up to scratch instead of continually trying to repair them "on the cheap".
The Council is due to be presented with its new fleet strategy in the new year, though an elected rep has claimed the council chief could be "kicking the can down the road".
READ MORE: Lisburn Castlereagh WWII celebration costs labelled 'extreme' by SF deputy mayor.
READ MORE: Lisburn Castlereagh Council sick days down but some "taking 35 days or more off per year".
Environment committee chairperson, Pat Catney (SDLP) said: "I want to address a critical issue that affects every resident in our community, the allocation of council income towards waste collection. This is arguably the most important task that the council is responsible for, and it is a matter that we, as councillors, are frequently contacted about.
"The least our ratepayers expect from us is to have their bins collected in a timely fashion. Our existing fleet of bin lorries has been kept operational for far too long, and this is evident in the complete lack of value they now hold.
"Recently I visited the depot and spoke to workers who are at the end of their tether trying to keep these vehicles on the road. Some of them have been in use for up to 17 years, far longer than intended and we are wasting even more money trying to keep them operational."
He added: "We cannot continue to provide this service on the cheap. We need to make a sufficient investment to future-proof our services and ensure that we collect waste in the most environmentally friendly manner possible.
"If we continue to kick this can down the road then it will only cost us and our ratepayers more money in future. This council is set to receive £2.6m from the UK government to help with environmental initiatives and I urge my fellow councillors to prioritise and ring-fence the budget for waste collection.
"This means allocating a budget that truly reflects the importance of this core service. Let us commit to making the necessary investments in our waste collection services."
The chamber recently raised doubts from Alliance Alderman Owen Gawith on the "state" of the council's bin lorries following a report showing vehicle conditions as the lowest risk to the operation of environmental services.
Recent fleet replacements for councils such as Newry, Mourne and Down cost ratepayers £7.4m in 2022.
Committee deputy chairperson, independent cllr, Gary Hynds said: "I speak to many of our front line staff quite regular and they have shared their deep frustration and concern on this matter. I believe that we have only four new refuse vehicles in the past six years.
"Also, every six weeks the vehicles we have that are over 12 years old, over half the fleet, need brought in for mandatory checks due to age, and any repairs carried out. I am also assured there is a breakdown of a vehicle at least every week. This is taking significant manpower and costing the ratepayer dearly.
"I can’t help feel the eye has been taken off the ball here, and we urgently need to rectify that. This is an essential service and I look forward to an imminent strategy coming forward and the process for fixing this situation beginning."
LCCC has delayed the roll out of its new multi-million pound kerbside collection system due to mobility concerns raised by charity groups as well as awaiting the outcome of a waste management report from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
The council was to bring about bigger mixed recycling bins and smaller household waste bins, however Daera is understood to be promoting a more segregated system that could potentially influence future bin lorry designs.
Council chief executive, David Burns responded: "Just to provide assurances to our ratepayers, we have used our assets as best we possibly can. We have an excellent garage of mechanics. All members recognise that there are some vehicles of an age now that we do need to replace them to ensure we have an effective and efficient service.
"There has been an award of funding recently from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to all councils in NI and a report will be coming to this committee at the beginning of January to do very much what has been said on ring-fencing the money for waste projects .
"We have ordered four new vehicles already. There is also a draft fleet strategy in circulation with our officers at the moment just waiting for finalisation before it comes in-front of committee in due course.
"There have been vehicles purchased before to assist with service continuity. As far as I am aware there has been no failure of service in the last six years while I have been in charge and I will continue to work with the teams to ensure we have operational effectiveness."
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States) ·