Alan Barkley acknowledged there have been teething problems with the introduction of the new waste management system, but warned ratepayers would foot the bill if the council did not aggressively promote recycling.

Responding to concerns raised by Greenisland resident Sarah Sinclair, Mr Barkley told the TIMES: “Collections start at eight o’clock, which is not excessively early for most people, but if we had Ms Sinclair’s details we may be able to arrange an assisted lift for her - that is available if someone needs it.”

Although strong winds can cause problems with the Bryson kerby boxes, Mr Barkley said the system was chosen only after considering all alternatives and is now even being adopted by some councils which had previously used blue bins.

“We looked at various options and were lucky enough to win quite a substantial grant to pilot the scheme we are using. Systems that are co-mingled need to be separated at the plant, which adds costs. If it is separated at source, it is much more valuable,” he explained.

While accepting that enforcing lifestyle change will always raise difficulties, the director indicated that a return to weekly grey bin collections is unlikely.

“We have no choice but to run this system. We have targets to meet, which will get stricter every year, and if we do not meet them there will be fines imposed. It is becoming a necessity to force people to recycle so the targets can be met.

“If people are recycling at full capacity, they should not need their grey bin emptied every week. We did a weekly grey bin collection over Christmas and some people complained because we had not emptied their brown bins.”

Mr Barkley said any complaints received by his department about the kerbside recycling service are raised during regular meetings with Bryson Recycling management.

“We cannot afford not to - we are paying for a service and we want to make sure it is delivered,” he added.