Three areas will receive the service between January and March next year
Glass recycling bin(Image: Getty)
Belfast Council has revealed plans for the expansion of the city’s glass collection and recycling service to another 23,000 homes across the city.
Phase two of the Kerbside Glass Expansion programme was detailed this week at a Belfast City Council committee meeting at City Hall. This stage of the expansion will cover mostly East Belfast, South and Southwest Belfast.
The three areas to receive the expansion, between January and March next year, are Ormiston, Balmoral and Collin.
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In 2024, the council’s Resources and Fleet Service was successful in obtaining capital funding under the Stormont Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs Household Waste Collaborative Change programme, with regard to the expansion of its kerbside glass collections scheme.
This funding, combined with the council’s capital programme, resulted in the implementation of phase one of this scheme, which delivered a Lorna glass collection scheme to 23,000 households from last year into this year.
Phase two areas for glass expansion in Belfast are in blue
The council has admitted some problems with phase one, as well as collections. Officers state in a report for the council’s People and Communities Committee: “While initial scheme participation data is below expectations, the tonnage captured is on target, with approximately 35 kg/hh/pa, equating to around 800 tonnes of glass per annum. The service is also working on contingency measures for vehicle breakdown to ensure a more consistent approach to kerbside glass collections across the city.”
The report adds: “The service is now planning for phase two of the project which involves a further expansion to another 23,000 households. The implementation phase involves the recruitment of collection crews, procurement of containers for both individual households and apartment blocks, procurement and leasing of vehicles, communication of the scheme to the selected households, assessment of apartments (if any within the selected areas) and finally delivery of containers followed by first collections.
“The scheme roll-out commences with a letter drop to households within the agreed phase two catchment area. This letter will outline the key aspects of the initiative along with practical information such as collection day, frequency, accepted materials and start date. Within seven days of receiving the letter, households will be issued with a kerbside box and lid for the presentation of their glass containers at the kerbside.
“An information leaflet will also be included within the kerbside boxes reminding residents on the salient points of the scheme. Kerbside collections will then commence within ten working days of receiving the kerbside box.”
At the September meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee, elected members approved the list of streets included in phase two, which can be found on the council’s website under the September committee agenda.
Green Party Councillor Anthony Flynn said at the meeting: “I want to welcome this, it is good to see the second phase of the expansion, which frankly has been a long time coming. I am happy with the recommended streets, because they are mostly in my area.
“During phase one, a lot of the people from those streets were coming to us and saying, when are we going to get one? And we kept saying you have to wait a little bit longer.”
The final phase, phase three, will involve all those households still not receiving a kerbside glass scheme after phase two is completed. The final roll-out will include these households in the 26/27 financial year.
Pic from Belfast Council website, permitted use for all
Caption by Michael Kenwood: Phase two areas for glass expansion in Belfast are in blue
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