Mid and East Antrim: Commercial vehicle restrictions advised at recycling centres to protect against 'waste tourism'
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been advised to introduce restrictions against commercial vehicles at household recycling centres (HRCs) or risk picking up a bill for “waste tourism”.
Speaking at a meeting of the council’s Audit and Scrutiny Committee at The Braid, in Ballymena, on Tuesday evening, Camille McDermott, director of Deloitte, said that HRCs are being used in some cases for disposing of commercial waste instead of paying for trade waste collections.
The local authority is planning to restrict access by commercial vehicles and large trailers at its recycling centres with discussions on terms of entry taking place behind closed doors at The Braid, the previous evening.
In February, the council agreed to approve the implementation of restrictions with a booking system “as necessary measures to protect the intended use of the council’s household recycling centre sites” and approved a review to be undertaken after six months to assess the effectiveness of the restrictions and their impact on the community.
Mid and East Antrim’s HRCs are located at Harbour Highway, Larne; Marshallstown Road, Carrickfergus; Waveney Road, Ballymena; Island Road Lower, Ballycarry and Dickeystown Road, Glenarm.
The Deloitte director acknowledged “challenges” for the council over the usage of recycling centres around disposal of commercial waste. “People are doing that rather than paying for trade waste collections,” she stated.
She highlighted a “lack of controls in place” by the local authority at present and pointed out other councils have initiatives such as time slot reservations, pre-payments and checks to verify local residents.
“It is a recommendation that management should review the controls in place and consider some things other councils are doing to avoid a system of travelling from outside the borough to dispose of waste here,” she said.
Bannside DUP Alderman Tom Gordon asked: “Are we still on track to get the booking system in place by the end of June?”
Larne Lough Ulster Unionist Councillor Roy Beggs stated: “It was discussed last night (Monday) at Environment and Economy. It is progressing. It does sound very timely. We have been getting waste tourism from other areas. Our ratepayers are paying for disposal that has migrated, particularly from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.”
The neighbouring council introduced a van booking system at household recycling centres in Antrim and Newtownabbey in November 2024. Anyone visiting local recycling centres in a medium or large van must book a designated slot.
If the van owner lives in the borough and is carrying household waste, it will then be allowed access to the borough’s recycling centres. These are O’Neill Road and Bruslee, Newtownabbey; Crumlin and Craigmore and Newpark, Antrim.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council reported in September of last year, that since this introduction, the van booking system has resulted in a reduction of 200 tonnes of rubbish and a saving of £20,000. Councillors were told that the reduction in tonnage has resulted in cost reduction for treatment/disposal.
Antrim and Newtownabbey’s recycling centres have 680,000 users per annum. The highest number of van slots used was at O’Neill Road, 54 per cent followed by Newpark, 34 per cent; Bruslee, 29 per cent; Crumlin, 16 per cent and Craigmore, 11 per cent.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been asked for a comment.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter