Council to extend ‘triple stack’ recycling system to 4,000 more households

The council has secured funding to extend the ‘triple stack’ recycling system to a further 4,000 households across Newtownabbey.

The introduction of triple stack units and smaller 180 litre black bins - replacing red kerbie boxes and regular 240 litre household waste bins - has proved successful, increasing recycling levels in areas where the scheme has been rolled out over the past couple of years.

At Monday night’s meeting of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, members heard that the local authority has been successful in securing funding from Rethink Waste.

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Almost £150,000 will be used to purchase 4,000 more of the ‘triple stack’ recycling units - three recycling collection boxes stacked on a trolley - with the council agreeing to provide the finances for the replacement smaller black bins for general waste.

Properties will be selected, similar to the previous process, on the basis of five routes covering a wide variety of areas across Newtownabbey.

Welcoming the news, Councillor Phillip Brett said: “This is hopefully another positive story. I think the extension in Newtownabbey will be very good.

“Good work by the council officers to try and get a grant and help support this successful scheme.”

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Alderman Mark Cosgrove added that the triple stack (also known as ‘wheelie box’) system is “a popular scheme” and congratulated council officers on securing the funding.

Councillor Noreen McClelland echoed the positive sentiments already expressed, saying: “I do welcome that we have another grant that will go a long way towards extending the scheme.”

Deputy Mayor John Blair asked if there was a possibility of trialling the system in the Antrim area of the borough, where householders currently use one large blue bin for all their recycling.

Chief Executive Jacqui Dixon said such a move could be looked at by council officers and referred back to the relevant committee for further consideration.

Councillor Henry Cushinan commented: “I congratulate officers on the hard work they are doing and look forward to the future when the Antrim end of the borough is brought into the scheme.”