The resources we call waste

Costs include collection equipment, infrastructure, wages, operation of Household Recycling Centres, public communications/engagement and gate fees/landfill taxes.

It is becoming increasingly expensive to landfill black bin materials because government imposed landfill taxes increase on a yearly basis. Therefore in order to cut costs it is vitally important that during and beyond the present economic difficulties everyone reduces the amount of materials disposed of in black bins.

The primary way to cut down on waste is to reduce it in the first place – try to think carefully about the goods and services used in order to reduce the waste left for Council to deal with.

Council now provides significant opportunities for reuse and recycling at various sites throughout the borough. Textiles, CDs/DVDs and books are all collected for reuse. A wide range of materials are collected for recycling in blue bins, Household Recycling Centres (HRC), Community Bring Sites and by our community partners LCDI. Council is always looking to improve and upgrade collections for recycling and has recently introduced segregated collections of polystyrene and plastic wrapping at Ballyquin Rd HRC. The public and businesses can now bring these materials to the HRC to be recycled.

Many of the materials we call ‘waste’ are actually useful resources which may be of no further use to us but which do still have value. This value can be realised through recycling. Recycling is a process where items and materials thought of as ‘waste’ are made into new useful products. Recycling saves money and energy, protects valuable natural resources and reduces landfill with all its inherent environmental and financial costs.

It is always important to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Engagement with local commercial and business operations is also important in reducing overall waste in the borough. Council is running a project to collect dry recyclable materials similar to those collected in the domestic blue bin, which up until now would all have gone to landfill.

This project is open to all businesses already availing of council’s residual collection and who would like to save money and improve their environmental performance..