Mid and East residents urged to recycle '˜hazardous' waste

Mid and East Antrim mayor Cllr. Lindsay Millar said: “Household waste costs over £100 per tonne landfill tax.

“Recycling this was saves over 50 per cent on this cost. Council can redirect this cost saving to finance local civic provide projects across the borough.

“Recycling is good for the environment and will leave our countryside and green spaces in a beautiful and undisturbed state for your children and grandkids as a result of less landfill sites across the country.

“I call on all our citizens to help us continue our success and support European Week for Waste Reduction.”

The actions implemented in the EWWR are addressing the ‘3Rs’: Reduce waste, Reuse products, Recycle material.

Reduce means using fewer resources in the first place and includes strict avoidance as well as reduction at source. The second-best option is to reuse products. This includes also preparation for reuse. Third priority and the last waste management option that is included in the EWWR is materials recycling.

This year’s EWWR is focusing on hazardous waste found in the home such as: paint, batteries, lightbulbs, oil, fluorescent tubes, electrical equipment.

Those who bring at least one of these items to a household recycling centre in the borough can enter a Gobbins competition between November 17th and November 25. Draw will take place on Monday November 26.

Last month, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s waste department was named as Northern Ireland’s Best Local Authority Service Team.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council delivered an innovative communications campaign in 2017 that engaged householders and called them to action to recycle food waste and re-use and recycle materials at council’s household recycling centres.

This resulted in council recording the highest recycling rate among Northern Ireland councils during July to September 2017, at 57.5 per cent - an improvement of 8.4 per cent.

The combination of work resulted in council increasing its household recycling rate by 7.5 per cent over the period April to December 2017, saving £235,000 in disposal costs and demonstrating significant and consistent behavioural change to recycling by householders across the borough.