Joseph Doherty, CEO of waste administration agency Re-Gen, writes
The Northern Eire Native Authority Collected Municipal Waste Administration Statistics annual report for 2023/2024 has supplied clear proof that the commingled, three-bin waste assortment system delivers larger family dry recycling charges in comparison with a multi-stream, kerbside kind system, Re-Gen has said.
The report revealed that native council areas utilising a commingled blue bin system for dry recyclables, reminiscent of paper, cardboard, cans, and glass, achieved the very best recycling charges. In stark distinction, council areas counting on kerbside kind programs, the place house owners kind recyclables into a number of containers, recorded the bottom recycling charges.
Commingled programs dominate recycling charges
The statistics highlighted Derry Metropolis & Strabane as the highest performer with a dry recycling price of 29.2%, utilizing a commingled system inclusive of glass. Conversely, Lisburn & Castlereagh, which primarily makes use of a kerbside kind system with restricted commingled collections, recorded the bottom dry recycling price at simply 17.5%. In reality, 4 of the highest 5 use the absolutely commingled system, and three of the underside 4 use the kerbside multi stream system. This pattern is constant throughout a number of years and subsequently demonstrates the effectiveness of commingled assortment programs in reaching larger recycling charges. (Northern Eire Native Authority Collected Municipal Waste Administration Statistics 2023/2024)
Joseph Doherty, Chief Government of Re-Gen, emphasised: “Waste administration statistics persistently show that commingled programs, notably these inclusive of glass, ship the very best recycling charges. The information reveals what we’ve lengthy advocated: commingled programs are superior for carbon effectivity, cost-effectiveness, and householder comfort.”
Comfort drives participation
Doherty identified the basic flaw within the kerbside kind system: “Requiring house owners to kind recyclables into a number of containers is each inconvenient and inefficient. It primarily shifts the accountability of sorting waste onto people, which discourages participation. At Re-Gen, we consider this course of is best dealt with by superior services geared up with state-of-the-art know-how.”
Investing in superior recycling know-how
Re-Gen has invested closely in its supplies restoration facility, leveraging AI and robotics to optimise sorting processes and scale back contamination ranges. Over the previous 20 years, the corporate has refined its operations to provide high-quality recyclates, reminiscent of paper, cardboard, metals and glass which help the round financial system in Northern Eire. Re-Gen lately gained Greatest Recycling Firm and Greatest Paper Recycling Firm within the 2024 Recycling Awards. The award recognised Re-Gen’s functionality for glass and paper to be collected in the identical bin and nonetheless be recycled again to bottle and paper once more thus fulfilling the wants of the round financial system.
Value and carbon effectivity
Commingled waste assortment can also be extra economical. Estimates counsel that transitioning all council areas in Northern Eire to kerbside kind programs would price £1.2 billion over seven years. (Embrace supply Grant Thornton June 2024)
Moreover, a examine by eminent carbon consultants Eunomia, printed in June 2024, demonstrated that Re-Gen’s commingled system considerably outperforms the kerbside kind system when it comes to carbon affect per tonne in Northern Eire. Eunomia’s evaluate of Re-Gen’s commingled sorting course of confirmed its superior environmental efficiency.
House owners want the 3-bin system
Intensive unbiased analysis performed by LucidTalk in June 2024 concluded that Northern Irish house owners want the blue bin system. Over 79% of these presently utilizing the blue bin don’t need to swap to the kerbside field system.
Northern Eire: Progress in Recycling and Waste Administration
The 2023/2024 report additionally highlighted broader progress in waste administration throughout Northern Eire
- Total recycling price: Elevated to 50.5%, up by 0.9% from the earlier yr (Northern Eire Native Authority Collected Municipal Waste Administration Statistics 2023/2024).
- Landfill price: Dropped from 23.1% in 2022/2023 to 18.4%, because of developments in restoration and recycling processes.
- Vitality restoration: Rose from 25.4% to 29.7%, with Re-Gen exporting residual waste to Scandinavian energy crops that utilise each electrical energy and warmth, making certain most effectivity (Northern Eire Native Authority Collected Municipal Waste Administration Statistics 2023/2024).
A transparent path ahead
While the newest statistics present progress total, there’s nonetheless a lot work to be completed if we’re to hit the 70% total recycling targets by 2030. To attain this may require additional investments in AI and superior sorting know-how, alongside authorities programmes to advertise extra recycling by house owners. Nonetheless, the info is evident, the extra easy the system, the extra individuals will recycle. It truly is that easy!
* All statistics cited are sourced from the Northern Eire Native Authority Collected Municipal Waste Administration Statistics 2023/2024 annual report and associated references to Eunomia Analysis and Consulting.
