Confirmation glass will be accepted in blue recycling bins

Confirmation glass will be accepted in blue recycling bins

27 March 2019

RATEPAYERS in the former Down Council area will be able to put glass in their blue recycling bins from the start of next month.

Confirmation of the move — revealed in the Recorder at the end of January — will ensure that all ratepayers across the entire Newry, Mourne and Down Council area will be able to place glass in their blue bins for the first time.

Currently, only residents in the former Newry and Mourne Council area can do this.

One of the reasons given for the operation of separate recycling collection systems in the legacy council areas was that the waste was handled by two different contractors. 

Under the new system, one company will be responsible for all the collected recycled material generated across the district, with local homeowners able to place glass in their blue recycling bins.

By 2020, the local authority must recycle 50 per cent of its waste, with senior officials confident the organisation will be able to meet this target when the new glass collection service is rolled out across the district in a few weeks’ time.

Council officials say removing an estimated 4,500 tonnes of glass from black bins in the former Down Council area will help meet its recycling target. 

There is also speculation that consideration could be given to potentially emptying black household bins every three weeks in the future. They are currently emptied once a fortnight.

Last year, local politicians endorsed the recommendation of an independent consultant to abort plans to spend money on new glass holders which would be placed in blue bins and emptied separately from the rest of the waste by specially designed bin lorries.

A major review of various options on the way forward for the collection of waste glass demonstrated that allowing it to be placed in blue bins alongside other suitable recycling material was the most cost effective way forward.

It has also been confirmed that bottle banks which are dotted across the district will remain in place for the foreseeable future as they are ostensibly used by commercial businesses.

Council officials say as the new glass collection system is rolled out, costs will be incurred to raise awareness amongst ratepayers through communication and advertising to ensure the correct materials are placed in bins. 

Over the coming days, leaflets will be ping through letterboxes confirming that glass can be placed in blue bins, with council officials insisting that the costs associated with the new service can be off-set by savings in disposal costs, with the new blue bin scheme funded from within existing budgets.

In addition, a series of new bin lorries are to be purchased over the next four years as part of a significant investment to replace an ageing fleet and help reduce the number of breakdowns.