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In Ballymena we recycled about 28% of all our waste in 2006/7. Ballymena is currently placed sixth in the league table of Northern Ireland Councils for recycling.
This is a great achievement and we thank everyone who has been recycling regularly. However, only about 50% of householders are actually recycling their waste. What about the other 50%? Our recycling rate could be so much higher if everyone was recycling.
Waste disposal cost the Council and ratepayers a lot of money. The cost of disposing of waste to landfill has risen to £60 per tonne from April 2008 including landfill tax of £32 per tonne, so dumping thousands of tonnes of waste in landfill is becoming very expensive. If we recycled more we wouldn't need to send so much to landfill, which would save us all money.
In 2006/7 Ballymena Borough Council area produced and landfilled 26,000 tonnes of waste. The amount of waste that we are allowed to landfill is decreasing every year and in 2009/10 it will fall significantly.
Apart from landfill diversion targets we also have recycling targets to meet. By 2010 we need to be recycling 35% of our waste. By 2015 that figure rises to 40% and by 2020 we need to recycle 45%.
For more info on recycling rates click on the ARC 21 link below.
www.arc21.org.uk
Recycling Services
Brown Bins and Alternate Weekly Collections
20,000 homes in the borough have received garden waste brown bins. The brown bins will be collected on an alternate weekly basis with black landfill bins from week commencing 16th June 2008. Calandars are delivered with the brown bins to let you know the dates of your collections.
The brown bin can be used to recycle most garden waste items including: grass cuttings, weeds, flowers, leaves, small woody waste and prunings and cold ashes.
For more information regarding brown bins click on the link below.
Kerbie
The weekly collection of the red kerbie box will begin on week commencing 21st April 2008. It will effectively double the opportunity for residents to responsibly dispose of a wide range of household items including: aluminium foil, card, cardboard, handtools, clothes, plastic bottles, food & drink cans, glass bottles and jars.
See link below for more details.
Blue Paper Bins
Blue paper bins will remain on a six weekly cycle and suitable collection items include: newspapers, magazines, junk mail, (excluding plastic wrapping or envelopes), white telephone directories with soft covers, yellow pages, computer printer paper.
See link below.
For more information on the individual services available please click on the links below. Or if you have any other questions regarding recycling contact Gary McKnight, Recycling Officer on 02825 660386. Or via email at recycling@ballymena.gov.uk.
Recycling Section:
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