Drive to recycle more plastics

The campaign, which aims to increase plastic recycling in the blue bin has been launched to coincide with this year’s Recycle Week.

It is estimated that an average of 35.8 million bottles are used every day in the UK yet only 19.8 million are recycled.

In Mid Ulster we recycled over 1,500 tonnes of plastic bottles and containers in our blue bins in 2018/19.

However, an alarming 10.6% of our black bin waste is still made up of plastic bottles and containers that could have been recycled in the blue bin.

So while the recycling heroes in Mid Ulster are doing a great job, with 88% of us recycling our plastic bottles and 75% recycling other plastic packaging, we can still do more!

To help make recycling plastics in the blue bin easier and more convenient, the Council provided every home in the district with an indoor recycling bag free of charge.

Keep your recycling bag beside your household general waste bin and use it to dispose of your plastics, including, plastic pots, tubs, trays, along with other blue bin materials including cardboard, glass, aerosols, tins and cans.

When it’s full, empty it into your blue bin outside then simply refill, recycle, repeat.

And remember, recycle from every room in the house, not just the kitchen.

Don’t forget to recycle plastic shampoo and shower gel bottles from the bathroom.

Speaking about the new recycling campaign, Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Martin Kearney, said: “We are in a very fortunate position here in Mid Ulster in terms of both our recycling rate and effort.

“We are consistently at the top of the Northern Ireland recycling league table and this is largely due to the continued support and effort of our recycling heroes on the ground.

“However, the fact that over 10% of Mid Ulster’s black bin waste is still made up of plastic bottles and containers is staggering, especially as these materials can easily be recycled in the blue bin.”

He added: “The free indoor recycling bag provided by the Council to every home in the district is a fantastic tool in helping to make recycling plastics a more routine and simple part of our everyday lives.”