“Our message is simple, seek a second opinion, keep the glass out, and do not go backwards, because it will be a costly mistake.”
A Northern Ireland recycling campaigner has blasted a “bungled” council bin decision, saying it’ll “cost ratepayers’ millions”.
Keep Recycling Local (KRL) is now calling on Lisburn and Castlereagh City to rethink its “backwards” decision to include glass with paper.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service can now reveal, through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, that the council has no timeframe to roll out its new bins and a Stormont department confirms the local authority has not applied for funding on new kerbside collection models.
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KRL’s Nicola Carruthers spoke to the LDRS, saying: “There are serious financial as well as environmental implications when glass is collected with other materials.
“For over 25 years, Lisburn and Castlereagh have been collecting glass the right way, separate to other materials, so this announcement is a major step backwards for the council.
“Daera is soon to announce its waste and recycling policies, and its widely believed they will be advocating a ‘glass out’ model which Lisburn and Castlereagh currently has.
“It is a fact, recognised across the world and throughout the waste sector by industry experts and governments, that when glass is collected with paper and card it breaks leaving shards of glass lodged with other materials.
“For Northern Ireland, this means the glass cannot be used or recycled locally and must be shipped overseas for processing all at the ratepayers’ expense.”
In May, the council made a U-turn decision on its new kerbside collections.
The long-awaited new bin policy will also see ‘kerbie’ boxes come to an end in Castlereagh and be replaced by wheelie bins to harmonise the whole district. However, the local authority will keep the public shut out of its decision-making, with council minutes stating the “full business case will never become available” and only “redacted reports” will be provided.
Ms Carruthers added: “When collected properly, glass has a perfect closed-loop recycling life-cycle as it can be recycled infinitely.
“Up until now, keeping glass separate across the council area has enabled 2,200 tonnes a year of high-quality glass to be reprocessed directly back into glass bottles in Northern Ireland. Any report that advocates the mixing of materials needs to be properly assessed, and councillors should get a second opinion from industry experts before committing millions of pounds of ratepayers’ money so foolishly.
“Moreover, Daera is offering to cover up to 50% of council’s costs for keeping the glass out so council ratepayers will have to foot the entire bill for moving to glass in only to then have to pay for the glass to be removed again in the near future, only without support from Daera at this stage.
“This bungled decision could well cost local ratepayers millions unnecessarily.
“We would encourage the council to rethink its approach and consider keeping the glass separate, as is happening across the UK and like the various systems already operating successfully in other council areas elsewhere in Northern Ireland, including Ards and North Down, Belfast, and Antrim and Newtownabbey.
“Our message is simple: seek a second opinion, keep the glass out, and do not go backwards, because it will be a costly mistake.”
Recent local authority waste statistics show recycling rates have plateaued at around 50%, highlighting the need for change to meet statutory targets of 70% recycling by 2030.
A Daera report on a 2024 consultation ‘Rethinking Our Resources’ on new recycling guidance for all 11 councils has been on the desk of the Executive for many months, awaiting sign-off.
It is understood that Daera will advocate for greater separation at the household collection stage.
A Daera spokesperson said: “Since the 2013 an amendment removed a previous provision which treated commingled collection as an acceptable form of separation,
“Whilst Daera has responsibility for the development of waste management legislation and policy, local councils have statutory responsibility for the collection and disposal of municipal waste and a duty to comply with relevant legislation.
“Daera has made up to £23 million available to councils through the Household Waste Recycling Collaborative Change Programme (HWRCCP) to support the transformation of kerbside recycling systems and Household Recycling Centre infrastructure and services.
“Under the programme, councils may be eligible for capital grant funding of up to 50% of total project costs.
“Applications can be submitted in line with programme calls, and all proposals are assessed against established criteria, including the expected quality of recyclate streams.
“Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council has not applied to the HWRCCP for funding to implement a kerbside co-mingled collection system.”
In a FoI to the LDRS, the council has refused to provide any costs associated with the recycling decision-making or the roll-out of the new bins, citing “commercial sensitivities”.
However, it has alluded to the potential for its new kerbside collection to adapt to future demands, but has no date in place to deliver bins to local homes.
The council FoI reads: “The council believes there will be both positive environmental and financial impacts as a result of the new waste collection model.
“The new model has been developed to improve recycling rates, provide a harmonised and resilient kerbside waste collection service, and ensure the council is prepared to adapt in future. The council has considered a range of collection systems and has selected the model that meets the needs of its residents and is flexible to meet future demands if required.
“There are no current delivery dates for bins and vehicles associated with this project.”
It adds: “The council engaged an independent consultancy company to carry out modelling on a variety of kerbside waste collection models for its consideration. The new kerbside waste collection model will be delivered in-house, ensuring a consistent, resilient and adaptive service to all households.
“The council also completed appropriate consultation and assessment processes, including equality screening and a rural needs impact assessment, to help inform decision-making.”
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