Have you ever wondered what happens to your rubbish?
It may surprise you to learn that every year in Newry and Mourne we produce over 40,000 tonnes of household waste!!!
An astonishing fact!! And it gets worse. Lets consider what actually happens to our waste. The majority of our waste goes to our landfill at Aughnagun, near Mayobridge. Once buried under ground it is lost forever. But this should not be the case because it is estimated that up to 70% of what goes into the average black wheelie bin could be either recycled or composted. A lot of what we throw away is actually very valuable material. We cannot continue to landfill our rubbish – we must start to look at new ways to deal with our waste.
Over the next few months this column will be encouraging you to do something different with your rubbish!
"Bring” Recycling Sites
Recycling is easy. You can either bring your materials to one of the Council’s 7 Household Recycling Centres. There you can recycle 33 different types of material. Or why not visit the 36 recycling bring sites located throughout the District where you can recycle 3 types of materials including glass, cans and textiles. For more information on the types of materials we recycle Click Here
The Brown and Blue Bin Scheme
And for some it gets even easier! Nearly all of the households in Newry and Mourne also have some type of kerb side recycling bin. These are either brown or blue wheelie bins. By introducing these bins the Council gives the householder the opportunity to recycle right at home!
These bins play a very big role in our recycling rates - 55% of the total material recycled comes from kerbside collection.
The Brown Bin
The brown bin is for kitchen and garden waste such as grass cuttings, fish bones, meat and food leftovers, spoiled fruit and vegetable and tea bags. All these materials decompose and are full of nutrients and minerals. Never put plastic or glass in your brown bin. These could contaminate tonnes of compostable waste. The material collected in the brown bin is taken to Natural World Products in Keady and transformed into compost which can then be used to help more plants grow. If you do not have a brown bin it is possible to get a home composting bin to make your own. For more information on your brown bin Click Here
This year the brown bin scheme resulted in the recycling of 2169 tonnes of organic waste. It is estimated that up to 45% of your waste can be composted.
The Blue Bin
The Blue Bin is for the collection of clean, dry and loose recyclable material such as paper, magazines and cardboard, aerosols, plastic bottles, clean plastic trays and containers and food and drinks and now even glass bottles/jars and tetra pak. It is important that you do not place any items in a plastic bag. The material collected is taken to a local reprocessing facility REGEN Waste where it is sorted, baled and transported for final recycling. At the minute REGEN is processing about 609 tonnes of Newry and Mournes’ waste every month.
Recycling makes sense
By recycling your waste you are giving it another chance. Instead of it being lost forever in our landfill site it can be changed into something else.
- Recycled plastic bottles change be made into fleeces, socks, hats and even park benches!
- Glass can be recycled over and over again to make new containers!
- Cans can be melted down and eventually become parts of cars or bikes!
- Recycled paper makes up 70% of the raw materials for UK newspapers!
So next time to go to your black wheelie bin to throw something away. Think First! Can it be Reused? Can it be recycled? Remember - your rubbish does not become waste until you throw it away!