Antrim and Newtonabbey Borough Council Roll Out Wheelie Box

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council Roll Out ‘Wheelie Box’

12,000 homes in the Antrim and Newtownabbey areas of Northern Ireland have received a ‘wheelie box,’ an innovative new service which the council hopes will encourage people to recycle more at home.

The ‘Wheelie box’ consists of 3 recycling boxes stacked on top of each other, and it has 2 wheels and a handle, much like a wheelie bin. But there’s more room in the box for recycling, and it will allow refuse collectors to weed out any incorrectly recycled items by hand at the point of collection.

Residents who received a wheelie box have also received a smaller bin, and it’s hoped that this will increase recycling rates, reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, and reduce waste management costs for the local authority.

Households that have a wheelie box are recycling 30% more waste and 90% of the 1160 residents that were surveyed about the boxes are happy with them.

The wheelie box

Benefits:

There’s more room for recycling and it’s more secure in the wind than a bin.

Who has received a wheelie box so far?

12,000 households have received a box as part of a trial, but they are being rolled out in phases to more areas in the next few years.

Tips for wheelie box recycling

Make sure everything you put in the box is clean. Flatten cans, cartons, plastic bottles, and cardboard boxes to maximise the space you have for recycling. If you want to recycle shredded paper, foil, clothing, and batteries, you should put them in a bag before you put them in the box.

Why use boxes to collect recyclables rather than a bin?

Items can be hand sorted at the point of collection which means that higher quality materials are sent for recycling. This is good news for the environment and for us; the recycling industry creates jobs and supports local economies.

Are 240L bins obsolete?

No, 240L bins can still be used if:

• A household has 6 or more residents
• There are 2 babies in a household who wear nappies
• There’s a person living in a household who has a medical condition that generates additional waste

What to do if the boxes are too full

You can use rubbish bags which should be secured and left out for collection next to the wheelie box. Only one type of material is permitted per bag, and glass can’t be recycled in bags for safety reasons.