Councillors demand waste service standards be restored ahead of Bryson CEO meeting

A special meeting of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council was held at Mossley Mill on Tuesday 20 January as elected members intensified pressure on Bryson Recycling over ongoing waste and recycling collection problems affecting residents across the borough.

The meeting was convened at the request of councillors to allow members to formally raise residents’ concerns in advance of a scheduled Full Council Meeting on Monday 26 January, which will be attended by the Chief Executive Officer of the Bryson Group.

During the session, the Director of Environment Services & Sustainability delivered a detailed presentation outlining the current position of waste collection services, the background to the council’s engagement with Bryson Recycling, and the details of an agreed recovery plan aimed at restoring services to expected standards.

While councillors acknowledged recent improvements, members from across all parties made clear that residents continue to experience disruption, frustration and inconvenience as a result of missed or delayed collections.

Representatives from each political party present read statements expressing their concerns and reiterating their demand that Bryson Recycling fully restores waste and recycling services to the standards set out in the council contract.

For many households, the issues have extended beyond inconvenience, with overflowing bins, recycling backlogs and uncertainty around collection schedules affecting daily life.

Councillors stressed that these problems have had a tangible impact on communities and ratepayers, prompting the need for heightened scrutiny and accountability.

A spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said:

“While the Council recognises there have been substantial improvements to the waste service collection in the past week and that Bryson Recycling is strategically addressing the compounding issues; we are also very mindful of the frustration and impact these issues are having on our ratepayers.

“With that at the forefront we look forward to discussing these issues with the Chief Executive Officer of the Bryson Group at the Full Council Meeting on 26 January and sharing the experiences of our constituents and the main issues impacting the Borough.

“The Council will continue to stringently monitor and manage all aspects of this waste contract and recovery plan until the previous high standard of service from Bryson Recycling is resumed. We would like to sincerely thank the residents of our Borough for their patience and understanding during this challenging time”.

The forthcoming Full Council Meeting is expected to provide councillors with an opportunity to directly relay residents’ experiences to Bryson’s senior leadership, as well as seek firm assurances around service stability, performance monitoring and long-term improvements.

Council leaders have indicated that oversight of the waste contract will remain a priority until confidence is fully restored and collection services return consistently to previous standards.