'No plans' to introduce penalties to County Derry residents who put food waste in black bins
Local councils in Co Derry have said they will continue to collect black bins if they contain food waste.
Councils across the north have advised residents that they should dispose of all food waste in food caddies, or brown bins from now on. The move is part of a plan to reduce the amount of food waste being sent to landfill across the north.
Belfast City Council has said that from May, they will place a warning sticker on a black bin containing food waste. If residents continue to put food waste in your black bin after getting a warning sticker the council say they will refuse to collect the rubbish.
Mid Ulster District Council and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council have both said that they do not intend to enact a similar policy.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council issued letters to all households last month about the new plans for food waste.
“Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is working presently towards harmonising their collections for all areas in respect of food waste,” a spokesperson said.
“We have not taken the approach some other councils have which is to state that black bins will not be emptied should there be persistent disposal of food waste.”
More than 50,000 homes across Mid Ulster are to receive a free recycling pack, containing a free roll of kitchen caddy bin-liners and stickers indicating what should go in brown, blue and black bins.
“At this point the Council has no plans to introduce penalties for residents who dispose of food waste in their black bins,” a spokesperson for Mid Ulster council said.
“All food waste has to go into the brown bin and our current food waste campaign is intended to encourage residents to dispose of their food waste properly.”
The Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Trevor Wilson encouraged residents to participate and ‘recycle to the max.’
“By making simple changes and using the brown bins correctly householders can help the Council save this money. As well as this significant financial saving, the negative consequences for the environment would also be greatly reduced,” he said.
“I would therefore urge everyone to review their recycling practices and get into the daily routine of managing their waste as much as possible.”
Owen Lyttle, the Head of Waste Policy at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, said that the north currently sends over 150,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill every year.
“Over 75% of this food waste comes from households. But landfilling of food waste from your black bin is costly to your local council, which means less money is available to be spent on other local services. Also, once in the landfill the food waste decomposes to produce greenhouse gases and leachate that require to be treated in order to prevent damage to the environment,” he said.
“From 1 April 2017 councils have to supply households with a kerbside food waste recycling service. The food waste collected from the kerbside recycling services will be treated at in‑vessel composting or anaerobic digestion plants, generating energy and quality compost, as well as sustaining green jobs.”
For queries about brown bins or kitchen caddies, contact Mid Ulster Council by calling 03000 132 132 or emailing [email protected] or contact Causeway Coast and Glens Council on 028 2766 0200 or [email protected].