“Colossal” amount of complaints after roll out of kerbside recycling service in Antrim & Newtownabbey

A photo shared on social media by a resident

Missed bin collections in Antrim and Newtownabbey will be discussed behind closed doors at a full meeting of the borough council after “service issues” were blamed on continuing crew absenteeism.

The issue was highlighted at a meeting of the council’s Operations Committee at Antrim Civic Centre on Monday evening.

Lynsey Daly, head of waste strategy and sustainability, insisted that missed collections were due to absenteeism among crews rather than the local authority’s switch to a wheelie box system in the Antrim area.

She reported that delivery of triple-stack wheelie box bins and 180-litre black bins, and the return of blue bins and 240-litre black bins, was completed as scheduled by the week commencing 17 November. She also noted a 20 per cent increase in recycling compared to November last year.

The officer said:

“We are aware that despite the success of the roll-out, there have been issues with service across the borough with wheelie boxes and containers. This is down to staff absenteeism which is still continuing.”

She stressed to members that the contract is being “contract managed”.

Ballyclare DUP councillor Jeannie Archibald-Brown proposed deferring further discussion until a full council meeting, saying it is a “far wider issue than just the harmonisation process”.

She added that at the full council meeting there would be an opportunity for the contract to be discussed in confidence so members could receive further in-depth information and work out a council contingency plan.

Macedon independent councillor Stafford Ward said:

“Since the changeover in Antrim, I have had major problems in my DEA (District Electoral Area) with 300 to 400 bins not emptied, some not for three weeks.”

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council was the first local authority to introduce the triple-stack bin system. These bins have been in operation in Newtownabbey since 2016, covering 37,000 households.

Airport Alliance councillor Andrew McAuley commented:

“There are still quite significant things with staffing to deal with.”

He asked whether the council has considered staff sickness and how the service can be maintained.

Airport Sinn Féin councillor Annemarie Logue seconded Cllr Archibald-Brown’s proposal. Cllr Logue said: “The frustration among residents is palpable and we are at the receiving end of it.”

She described the volume of complaints as “colossal”, adding: “I can’t see a quick fix.” She claimed that collections in Crumlin on Thursdays are “an absolute disaster”.

“It is the customer at the end of the day that is really frustrated with the service we are providing and it is not good PR for this council,” Cllr Logue added.

The officer explained that crews are not fully established in some areas. She said there have been “issues in Monkstown during the last couple of weeks because there is sickness in the crew and Crumlin is the same”. When staff are not established, she added, they miss assisted lifts and small cul-de-sacs.

Dunsilly Alderman Linda Clarke said: “I think it needs to come back to full council. There are far too many issues. Our ratepayers are suffering and are not getting the full service they deserve.”

Antrim Alliance councillor Neil Kelly said the frustration is “justified”.

“Some pockets in Antrim have not been done in a couple of weeks. We are paying a contractor a lot of money to do one thing. We want our bins emptied. I do not see much improvement based on information from Antrim town. They need to deliver. It is not rocket science.”

Macedon Ulster Unionist councillor Robert Foster stated: “I am quite relieved to hear it is being contract managed. I do see a bit of an improvement in my own area. Other areas are getting worse.

“I am delighted to hear we are 20 per cent up in our recycling. We have had problems. I have no doubt our teams will manage them. I am delighted to see after eight weeks’ turnaround, we are 20 per cent up and not having had everything rolled out.

“It is not an easy challenge listening to us bleating on but I have every confidence we will get to a position where we have been.”

Glengormley Sinn Féin councillor Eamonn McLaughlin told the meeting he has been receiving reports of crews being unable to access streets because of parking issues. He described the problem as “recurring” and having a “knock-on effect”.

The officer agreed to bring the issue back to a full council meeting.