Households urged not to let bins hibernate over winter*

Banbridge District Council’s Waste and Environmental Manager, Lynsey Daly, emphasised: “The brown bin is provided to all households for recycling much more than just garden waste; it is also for all food waste including raw and cooked, vegetable and meat (including bones).

“Householders should ensure that any food packaging is either rinsed out and placed in the green bin if it is recyclable, or placed in the black bin if it is non-recyclable (e.g. plastic bag or polystyrene tray). Other compostable waste such as paper napkins, paper towels, paper tissues as well as compostable pet bedding (such as sawdust, hay and straw) and pet droppings should also be placed in the brown bin.”

Lynsey stressed the importance of recycling food and other household compostable waste all year round: “On average, food waste alone accounts for around 20% of the waste discarded by the average household, making it crucial for every household to place this into their brown bin where it can then be recycled into a high quality compost. We are urging every household in the district to ensure that they keep using their brown bins all year round, including over the winter period.”

Chairman of Banbridge District Council, Councillor Marie Hamilton, added: “While we currently have the highest recycling rate in Northern Ireland, we can’t afford to be complacent when it comes to improving our performance. We know that at least another 25% of our household waste is recyclable, over and above the amount that we are already recycling.

“Also, government imposed recycling targets for biodegradable waste increase year on year.

“Therefore, we all still need to do more to protect ourselves against hefty financial penalties if stringent biodegradable waste recycling targets are not met. Using the brown bin during winter will help us to do this, as well as keeping our rate bill increases to a minimum. Every household including those that produce only a small amount of kitchen food waste has a role to play in reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill.”

If your household does not have a brown bin or a small brown kitchen caddy for transferring kitchen food waste to the brown bin the council will provide one free of charge by contacting the Technical Services department on T: 028 4066 0604 or E: [email protected]

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