Dungannon tosses twice as much into landfill

The stark difference has prompted Mid Ulster Council to relaunch the Brown Bin scheme in the area to rectify the problem.

While Dungannon homes put just 2.2kg of household waste in their brown bins on average per week during the winter, Magherafelt recycles 4.12kg on average, according to a study conducted by the council.

And the reason for the large difference is not because Dungannon homes generate less rubbish. According to council officers, local householders “are not diverting all food waste from their black bins to the brown bin.”

Magherafelt, where brown bins were first rolled out in 1999, has been held up as a blueprint of success for the recycling scheme.

Some Dungannon and Cookstown homes did not receive a brown bin until as late as 2015.

The report, which was presented to the Mid Ulster Development Committee concluded: “The Magherafelt brown bin scheme is more established, has not been subject to any operational changes throughout the years and has had the same purpose from start up.

“Furthermore, the availability of, and promotion of, easily accessible and affordable liners is reflected in the higher capture rates year round.”

The decomposition of food waste in landfills is considered one of the largest sources of human-produced methane emissions. The amount of brown bin waste generated by local households drops during the winter.