Residents ‘losing confidence’ as kerbside recycling collections fall behind

A meeting is due to take place this week between Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s chief executive, Richard Baker, and his counterpart at Bryson Recycling over missed bin collections across the borough.

Councillors were told at a meeting of the council’s Operations Committee, held at Antrim Civic Centre on Monday evening, that service issues will be discussed on Wednesday, ahead of a further meeting with members in the council chamber later this month.

Airport Sinn Féin Councillor Annemarie Logue asked whether there had been any improvement, saying there had been widespread complaints about bin collections, which she described as “totally below sub-standard”.

She said some black bins had not been collected since December 18 and that some triple-stack recycling bins had also been missed. She recalled that there were “staffing issues before the weather decline”.

“Is there any improvement in sight or is it as dire as it has been over the past few months?” she asked.

Michael Laverty, the council’s director of environmental services and sustainability, said there had been “further service delivery issues” and confirmed that Bryson’s chief executive has been invited to attend the council chamber “to show whatever they are doing to alleviate problems”.

He said both Bryson and Avenue, another waste contractor, have “suffered problems with collections”.

“There are areas they can’t access. They can’t take risks if road conditions are not suitable,” he explained.

Dunsilly DUP Alderman Linda Clarke said she has received multiple complaints about bins not being collected in Randalstown.

“One resident has not received any service in 12 weeks,” she claimed.

Alderman Clarke also highlighted two full compactors and skips “overflowing” at Craigmore Household Recycling Centre in Randalstown on December 27, which she described as “one of their busiest days”.

She added that on Monday, December 29, she received a message stating that people were being turned away as the site could not accept household waste or cardboard.

She said that, prior to Christmas, the committee had been told an additional waste facility could be put in place on site if necessary, but that this did not happen.

Responding, Mr Laverty said: “Over Christmas periods, our sites are chock-a-block. All across Northern Ireland sites are chock-a-block. We try to maintain them but only have a certain amount of containers.

“We do not have infinite resources. We do run quite a tight ship and do what we can to improve, but what we experienced, I thought, was fairly similar to what we experience every year.”

Macedon Ulster Unionist Councillor Robert Foster said he was “astounded” by Bryson’s response to missed collections. He noted that the issue had been raised at the committee’s previous meeting and again at the council’s full meeting in December.

“Here we are in January only coming to meet with the chief executive. It is a shocking response. Bryson has not put any urgency into this,” he alleged.

Councillor Foster said he would like to see a recovery plan in place, warning that people are “losing confidence” in recycling and are beginning to put recyclable items into black bins.

Mr Laverty said Bryson has submitted a recovery plan to the council and that attempts had been made to arrange an earlier meeting, but this had not been possible due to “diary clashes”.

Antrim DUP Councillor Paul Dunlop BEM said residents are “frustrated” since the wheelie-box recycling system was rolled out in the Antrim area last year.

He also raised concerns about the council’s winter resilience programme, noting that grit boxes have not been replenished. He said this would make it easier for collection crews if residents had access to grit.

“Surely we should be working together. It would help people get their bins emptied quicker,” he said.

Mr Laverty said he would be happy to contact the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to enquire about the provision of salt boxes.