Recycler of the Month for May

Ms Ciara Jennings, Newry was the winner of the Recycler of the Month competition for the Month of May. A £50 cheque was presented to Ciara by the competition sponsor’s ReGen. Ciara’s blue bin was full of all the correct recyclable material. She had even squashed cardboard packaging from her children’s toys and placed it into the bin. As well as filling her blue bin every fortnight, Ciara brings any extra materials for recycling to Newry Household Recycling Centre.

This month, Officers were delighted to find that the majority of bins set out, contained all the right materials. However a small amount of bins checked, did contain food waste, textiles, plastic bags and plastic containers, such as cake trays, margarine and yoghurt pots which should be placed in the black bin and not the blue bin. Some householders are putting in items, which have a recycling symbol but are not on the Council’s list of items accepted in the blue bin.

Householders are reminded that no plastic bags or packaging, apart from plastic bottles, should go into the blue bin. Drinks cartons also cannot be placed into the blue recycling bin. If residents would like to recycle their drinks cartons, they can bring them to any of the Council’s 7 Household Recycling Centres. Textiles can be recycled at the Recycling Centres, the 36 Recycling Bring Sites located across the District or given to charity shops.

To help boost our targets, we would encourage householders to continue to use our Household Recycling Centres for the disposal of other recyclable materials such as green waste, glass, waste oil, scrap metal, fluorescent tubes/energy saving light bulbs, timber, televisions and computer monitors, car batteries, household batteries and fridges/freezers.

Anyone who uses his or her blue bin correctly is eligible to win. This means that the blue bin is not contaminated, all material is clean, dry and loose, and where appropriate lids are removed and containers are washed and squashed. For more information about recycling or the competition, please contact Therese Hamill on (028) 30313233 or email recycling@newryandmourne.gov.uk.