Alliance Councillor Jill Truesdale discusses the issues of the co-mingling of waste
A review of co-mingling waste waste needs is needed says Truesdale as it could provide more environmental and ecomomic benefits.
Co-mingled recyclingxa0allows residents to place paper, glass, cans, cardboard, plastic, clean foil, empty aerosols and cartons in the same container, in Newry Mourne and Down in our blue bins.
However, she was contacted in the week by a constituent who pointed out the dangers of dry items and glass in the same bin when they sustained a nasty cut to the hand as they squashed down the dry waste smashing a jar in the process.
This led to a conversation around co-mingled waste … and the Mournes councillor asked what happened to all our bottle banks?
In early 2019 Newry Mourne and Down approved glass being placed into the blue bin with dry waste such as paper and cardboard.
Residents in the Newry and Mourne legacy area had already been able to recycle glass in the blue bin since 2012 but Council harmonised the waste collection service for residents and rolled it out across the entire district.
At the time this was welcomed but since most people have noticed the blue bin fills up very fast, a testament to our good recycling perhaps? At the time it was confirmed that bottle banks would remain in place for the foreseeable future as they were mostly used by commercial business, yet they have all silently been lifted.xa0
Now worrying statistics and incidents have started to emerge. Commingled recycling can lead to contamination, which can waste recycling efforts and harm the environment. It can also prove dangerous as in shattering glass.
Jill said: “The injured constituent decided to start and separate glass from the blue bin and used a create to collect their bottles and jars.
“However, when it was full they realised there was no bottle bank outside of the household recycling centre, five miles away.
“Fortunately, they are fit and healthy enough to carry the crate to the car and drive to the dump but what happens if you aren’t able to lift your glass or even drive to the dump?
“Will these items end up in the black bin, something we have tried so hard to avoid? Many moons ago Newcastle had a kerbside glass crate lift by a social enterprise.
“The guys would come around sort your crate out there and then and give you the empty crate back, it was a very successful scheme and still running in other council areas.xa0
“Councils need to make recycling as easy as possible for people, considering access to transport and mobility needs. In Newry Mourne and Down we do have statistics worth shouting about as well as a dedicated team of council officers in the Sustainability and Environment Department.
“In 2022, the recycling rate in Newry Mourne and Down District Council increased by 1.4% compared to 2021.
“This was the largest increase among all the councils and had the highest energy from waste (EfW) rate in Northern Ireland at 45.75%,xa0so we are committed ratepayers to recycling.xa0
“As a party we are committed to the expansion of the circular economy and the creation of a waste management system that rewards recycling and ends our overuse of waste to landfill.xa0
“Despite improvements in recent years, recycling rates remain low across Northern Ireland. Research for the European Commission has found single-stream commingled collections of dry recyclables give the worst economic and environmental outcomes of any sorting method. xa0
“The Impacts of the collection and treatment of dry recyclables report said that single-stream collection “incurs detrimental environmental and economic effects and should be avoided‘.xa0
Jill added: “Achieving a rethink on co-mingled waste will not only reduce greenhouse gases from the waste sector, but along with other changes will also bring significant economic benefits and support the Executive’s pending Green Growth Strategy and deliver a strong, green economy which values its resources.
“Taking this evidence-based approach across Northern Ireland will ensure everyone can play their part in delivering on our waste recycling and wider climate change obligations.”
