Antrim and Newtownabbey Council face £2m budget shortfall as triple stack recycling bins roll out

A shortfall of almost £2m was highlighted to Antrim and Newtownabbey councillors at a recent meeting of the borough council’s Operations Committee.

The committee was told that the sustainability budget is in an “adverse position” of £1.92m for the quarter between January and March 2025.

Councillors were told this is due to “significantly higher” waste treatment rates for residual waste; an increase in waste arisings above predicted levels; lack of funding provision in the treatment of green waste and a delay in the “harmonisation” of waste collection services.

A triple stack wheelie box bin system for recyclable household items is due to be rolled out to 23,000 households in Antrim bringing the waste collection service in the town into line with Newtownabbey.

Triple stack wheelie bins are already in operation in Newtownabbey where they were introduced in 2016 and provided to 37,000 households. Antrim and Newtownabbey was the first local authority in Northern Ireland to introduce these bins.

It is expected that triple stack bins in Antrim will be emptied weekly and black bins, fortnightly.

“Harmonisation” of waste collection services was discussed by councillors behind closed doors at last month’s Operations Committee meeting. They were told the local authority accepted an offer of 50 per cent “match funding” towards provision of this service in July of last year.

Minutes said members were informed this would enable officers to “begin the procurement process for vehicles, containers and collection and roll-out contracts”. The committee was told wheelie boxes and 180 litre black bins for non-recyclables are being delivered to the local authority at present.

During a presentation to the committee in September 2023, an officer said the service was expected to commence in autumn 2024.

In Antrim, households have a 240 litre black bin and a blue bin of the same size which are collected on alternate weeks. Garden and food waste from both areas is collected in brown bins fortnightly.

Speaking at last week’s Operations Committee meeting, Antrim DUP Alderman John Smyth asked:

“How are we going to balance the books?”

Michael Laverty, director of sustainability, said:

“It is very much a balancing act. When we produce our estimates, we produce our estimates 18 months in advance.  We try to get them as realistic as possible.”

He indicated the council is “at the mercy of market rate”, adding it is “difficult to know what prices will come back”.

“These are end of year budgets and overall, the council is in a favourable position. Next year, we have a number of contracts up for renewal,” the director noted.

Macedon Ulster Unionist Councillor Robert Foster asked if there has been any reduction in waste disposal following the introduction of a van booking system at household recycling centres. A booking system for vans was introduced by the council in November of last year.

Councillors were told previously 10,000 vans used the local authority’s five recycling sites in November and December. When a van driver books into a site, the vehicle registration and home address is recorded.

The director replied: “There has been a mixed picture. We have seen some sites where there has been a reduction and some sites, we have seen an increase in tonnage.”

The committee also heard the parks and leisure budget is in a “favourable position” of just over £1m due to leisure membership, crematorium revenue and staff vacancies in the parks section.