Smaller bins too ‘skittery’

Braid Councillor Sam Hanna has rubbished an idea that the size of wheelie bins be reduced in a bid to help meet recycling targets.
Cllr Sam Hanna. INBT 22-154JCCllr Sam Hanna. INBT 22-154JC
Cllr Sam Hanna. INBT 22-154JC

His comments came in the wake of a presentation by WRAP representative Keith Patterson on waste to a Mid & East Antrim Council committee last week.

The report looked at different ways of handling waste in the borough, including changing the frequency of collection, bringing in a stackable ‘wheelie box’ system for recycling and reducing the size of the black bin from 240L to 180L.

Ald Hanna told the committee: “The bins lids are up already - what am I going to do with a wee skittery 180 litre bin?”.

He was informed that the stackable boxes would provide additional capacity for recycling as currently not everyone was recycling as much as they could.

However, Ald Hanna asked why people in Ballymena were being “penalised” as, he claimed, the local recycling rate was “59 per cent”.

His figure evoked some disagreement with others believing it to be nearer 49%. The overall rate for Mid & East Antrim was noted to be 46%.

Also addressing the three-bin stackable system idea, Stephen Nicholl told the committee: “Some people have a hard enough time getting room for one bin.”

However, Mr Patterson told members that the stackable containers take up the same amount of space as a black bin, so they “reduced the footprint but increased the volume”.

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