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Writer's pictureLove Ballymena

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim welcomes Borough’s recycling efforts



In 2020 Residents of Mid and East Antrim recycled a staggering 19,000 tonnes of waste through the Council’s five HRCs. Mid and East Antrim achieved an outstanding recycling rate of 69 per cent - 4 per cent higher than the NI average for HRC sites for the same period.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, congratulated residents and HRC staff for their efforts.

“Councils HRCs were only closed for three days over the Christmas period, allowing residents to recycle as much as possible, playing their part in protecting our stunning natural environment, too. This was helped greatly by site users making a conscious effort to follow Council’s ‘SORT’ system.”

The SORT system is:

•Sort recyclable and non-recyclable materials at home •Organise these materials in your car to make your visit quicker and easier •Re-use items – look out for containers for furniture, bicycles and electrical items •Talk to staff if unsure about any items.

Council’s Direct Services Committee Chair, Alderman William McNeilly said:


“Statistics show that up to 3,400 residents per day visited sites to re-use and recycle rather than dump their waste over the festive period.

“On average, 850 cars passed through Redlands and Sullatober HRC, with 500 through Larne South HRC and 1,200 through Waveney Road HRC per day.

“It was noted that the high levels of site traffic and large volumes of waste and recycling, mixed with covid-19 restrictions, proved an operational challenge but thanks to the staff and residents it was a success as the majority of site users made a conscious effort to recycle, rather than landfilling waste.”


Mayor of Mid and East Antrim welcomes toy donations

The Christmas Toy Container Appeal also proved extremely successful, with pre-loved toys donated to Council’s five Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) to Restore (Habitat for Humanity) in Ballymena, Restore (East Belfast Mission) in Larne, with further toys gifted directly to MEA communities via Larne Community Care Centre and Carrickfergus Community Forum.

Responding to the successful Christmas Toy Container Appeal, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston said:

“Residents and Council staff worked hard on making this appeal a huge success and as a result families were given the opportunity to get good, quality toys.”

During the Festive season, Council saw an increase in the download of the Bin-ovation app, with a significant number of checks for information on Christmas-specific items for recycling. The innovative app informs you of your bin collection schedule, what you can and can’t recycle, and provides details on our HRCs, including opening hours.

Council also ran a Christmas Recycling Poster competition, which had a huge response from schools across the borough. With over 150 entries, it was a particularly difficult year to judge, however the winning posters were displayed at the HRCs throughout the Christmas period.




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