Vulnerable residents of Lisburn will not have their wheelie bins "forcibly removed" amid claims of a "massive U-turn" on the council's new kerbside collections

The long awaited new bin policy which has been signed off will also see the ‘kerbie’ boxes come to an end in Castlereagh and be replaced by wheelie bins to “harmonise” the whole district.

Alderman Paul Porter said: “This is a massive U-turn, which I welcome, as the previous policy looked to forcibly remove and reduce the size of bins, especially for those vulnerable residents who did not request it or want it.

“The policy will also harmonise Lisburn and Castlereagh with everyone using wheelie bins.

“It has taken three and a half years for us to now be where we were, this is time and money wasted on consultations just to be at the status quo and what I had campaigned for from the beginning.”

In 2023, Age NI chief executive Linda Robinson raised concerns to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the proposed size change to bins could impact elderly residents’ independence.

The concerns led to a public consultation by the council.

In Castlereagh residents have been separating recyclable waste into stacked caddies known as ‘kerbies’ for many years, which will now come to an end.

Councillor John Gallen said: “In council we agreed to purchase recycling wheelie bins for the Four Winds, Carryduff, Newtownbreda all of Castlereagh South.

“This is something we in the SDLP have been campaigning on for years. The rollout of the new recycling model will begin next year.”

The council approved a preferred option for larger co-mingled dry recycling bins behind closed doors in January 2023, but its rollout was held back due to a Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs consultation process.

The department has asked all 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland to bring forward new policy options on household bin collections with a deadline for consultation ending this month.

A formal paper with recommendations for bin collections is expected to be finalised in due course.

It is understood that DAERA has proposed its own view for greater separation of recyclable waste at collection, but the plans differ from Lisburn and Castlereagh’s now ratified plans for larger co-mingled recycling bins.

The council had previously stated (2023) households would have their overall waste capacity increased using three bins; blue for recycling including glass (360l), brown for organic waste (240l) and black for residual waste (180l).

The LDRS asked the local authority for clarity on the matter.

A spokesperson for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council said: “Residents who currently have a 240-litre residual waste bin will retain these under the new service arrangements.

“Those who currently have a 180-litre residual waste bin will be able to upgrade to a 240-litre bin at no cost.”

Chairperson of the environment and sustainability committee, Alderman Owen Gawith, said: “This is really positive news for residents.

“The updated service will make recycling simpler and more consistent across Lisburn and Castlereagh, delivered in-house by the council.

“We will keep residents fully informed well in advance, with clear, straightforward information throughout the roll-out.”