Mid Ulster black bin buyers facing discrimination, says DUP councillor
Mid Ulster residents are being “discriminated against” when purchasing new black wheelie bins, with the council charging more for them than other bins, a councillor has said.
Blue bins with a 240-litre capacity, which are used for dry recyclable waste such as packaging, now cost £30, while brown bins, used for biodegradable waste, cost £36, and black bins – for non-recyclable material – cost £42.
There is no differential in price for larger bins. Residents are charged £75 for 360-litre bins, £166 for 660-litre bins, and £220 for 1,100-litre bins.
Charges for wheelie bins have gone up by 3.4 per cent this 2026/27 financial year, in line with inflation, councillors were told at the February 10 Environment committee meeting of Mid Ulster District Council.
Assistant Director of Environmental Services, Mark McAdoo, explained that although both blue and brown bins are used for recycling, Mid Ulster residents are being charged less for blue bins, because they can request two of those.
He commented at the meeting: “The rationale for the lower charge for the recycling bins was because our policy allows for two blue bins to be collected if householders present two blue bins.
“Some people do buy the second blue bin. Not very many, but some do. We would actually encourage more householders to do so if they can afford to do so.
“And we will collect the second blue bin, which obviously drives up the amount of material collected for recycling.”
Councillor Cuthbertson (Dungannon DEA), however, felt there was an element of “discrimination” in charging householders more for black bins.
He told committee members: “It’s an issue I’ve raised this past two years in relation to someone who moves into a house and needs a black bin because it’s broken, or the previous tenant hasn’t left it.
“They’re being discriminated against to pay a higher fee because of the colour of it, and not because they’re any worse recyclers than anybody in the room here.
“You only allow one black bin to be collected. So, regardless of the price of the bin, that’s not going to impact going forward on recycling.
“If we could have a paper going forward. It can be put into confidential business.
“I’d like to see the cost of these bins, and [what] the council is paying for them. Can we have that report coming forward in confidential business?
“Each year we’re putting the price up by the rate of inflation the night after the rate setting. It’s just a double whammy every time.”
The senior council officer replied: “We can certainly bring a paper back on the actual cost of the bins.
“One other point I would make is that the majority of people, when buying bins and moving into new houses, do buy all three.
“As pointed out in the report there, when you do that, the price is reduced to £90. So, it actually averages out at £30 per bin across the three.”
Commercial waste kerbside collection charges have also gone up by 3.4 per cent.
Commercial operations are now being charged £4.05 for the collection of residual waste, and £2.60 for recyclable waste (120-litre bins).
The equivalent figures for the collection of 240-litre bins are £7.35 (residual) and £4.75 (recycling).