Changes to council cleansing service

On April 1, Carrickfergus Borough Council ceased to exist and joined the former councils area of Larne and Ballymena to become Mid and East Antrim authority.

In the run up to the merger of the three councils, a substantial amount of work was undertaken to review the work of the three organisations and to align policies across the three areas.

A number of key decisions regarding the service have already been agreed by the new authority which will bring about changes for rate-payers.

Householders in the new borough will now receive three rolls of kitchen caddy bags free of charge by the end of April, July and October.

Additional rolls of caddy bags can be purchased at the following venues as before: Visitor Information Centre, Museum and Civic Centre; Bell’s, High Street; Casker’s, West Street; Oakland Stores; Today’s Local, Eden and Eurospar, Whitehead.

Carrick ratepayers will see a slight reduction in the cost of purchasing a new 240 litre bin.

The new fees which came into effect on April 1 are £35 for 240 litre and £200 for 1100 litre.

Bins can be purchased from Environmental Services, the Museum and Civic Centre, Carrickfergus during normal office hours by cash or cheque.

A new policy has also been agreed in relation to the collection of bulky waste items.

Ratepayers in the borough will receive one free collection and the collection of one fridge-freezer per year.

Commercial fridge freezers will cost £35 to have collected.

Additional regular bulky collections will be charged at £10 per collection. Special collections, such as the collection of old kitchen units will require assessment by a council officer and additional fees will be applicable (minimum £15).

Fees will be payable in advance of collection and can be made by visiting the Environmental Services Department, Museum and Civic Centre, Carrickfergus during normal office hours.

Bulky items not being collected:

1. House Clearances

2. Black bags of domestic waste

3. Asbestos

4. Food waste

5. Gas cylinders

6. Soil/Clay

7. Hazardous waste e.g. fuel, chemicals

8. Building Materials

9. Glass panels/broken glass

10. Windows/mirrors/greenhouses

11. Paint cans/tins

12. Rubber/tyres

13. Pianos

Oversized items for assessment/charge (£15 minimum):

1. Oil tanks, plastic only, empty and halved

2. Sheds

3. Bathrooms

4. Kitchen cupboards

5. Hedges/branches

6. Doors

Grey/brown bin collections

Residents are reminded to have their bins presented for collection by 7.30am as failure to do so could mean their bin not being emptied. From April 1 Waste Management Cleansing staff will only return to collect ‘missed bins’ in exceptional circumstances, i.e. due to adverse weather conditions, road closure or vehicle breakdown.

For further enquiries regarding the Council Cleansing Service for the Carrickfergus area, residents are asked to refer to the website www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk or by telephone on 028 9335 8000.