Fermanagh residents are growing increasingly frustrated by the ongoing disruption to the bin collection services across the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area, now hitting the six-month mark.

Earlier this week, a man who lives outside of Irvinestown contacted this newspaper to air his frustrations at the service.

He said: “The brown bins have not been lifted for three consecutive fortnights, and we have been told to bring it [brown bin waste] to Irvinestown or Kesh.”

The concerned resident raised concern that rural areas were more affected by such an ongoing disruption to service.

He said: “Are they [bin collections] being missed in Omagh or Enniskillen? I would like to think there would be a noise heard in the Townhall or the Grange if their bins were not lifted.”

Many others across the Council area have also faced disruption with their brown bins’ collection, but the concerned caller also alleged that his blue bin was not lifted for a fortnight during the period of disruption. He added: “If they can’t sort out their bin collection [services], they don’t deserve to call themselves a Council.”

Confirming that there is an ongoing disruption to the bin collection service, a spokesperson for Fermanagh and Omagh District Council said: The Council has experienced some service disruption to planned refuse collection across the district over the last six months.

“The most significant impacts have been on separate food waste collections (food caddies), although on a small number of occasions, other bins have also been affected.”

The Council is currently recruiting to help alleviate the ongoing waste collection problem, the spokesperson said.

“We are in the process of concluding several recruitment processes for permanent, casual and seasonal positions across a range of service, areas including waste and recycling, and it is hoped that this will substantially address the issue over the coming weeks as those new frontline staff take up post.”

Continuing, the spokesperson said: “The Council recognises the impact this has on residents, and would like to thank them for their cooperation and continued support for, and courtesy towards, our staff.

“The Council would advise residents that additional waste can be taken to the nearest recycling Centre for disposal and, in the case of food waste, compost bins are available from the Council for home composting, which will in time generate nutrient-rich compost for the garden.”