Environment \ Environmental Services \ Household Recycling Centress

Environmental Services

Civic Amenity Sites changing to Household Recycling Centres

Newry and Mourne District Council are implementing a number of changes to their 7 Civic Amenity Sites from the 5th July 2010 and will be enforcing them from the 2nd August 2010.

These changes will include: -

• A new name and operating procedures
• An additional attendant on busy sites at peak times to direct you to the appropriate recycling container.
• New opening hours
• Site users will be required to sort their waste and will not be permitted to dispose of recyclable waste to the general waste stream
• Height barriers at some sites
• No wheelie bins allowed at any of the HRCs
• Restrictions on which sites take commercial/trade waste/large loads.
• Restrictions for DIY Waste.

The reason for these changes is that Council is required to reduce the amount of recyclable waste currently being placed into general waste skips. Currently nearly 10,000tonnes of waste is sent to the Landfill Site every year from the Civic Amenity Sites. Our aim is to reduce this to 6,000 tonnes within the first year.

An Example of some of the recyclable materials going into the general waste skips

Each tonne of waste, which is not recycled is liable for cost at £73 per tonne rising £8.00 per year, with disposal costs currently costing the ratepayer £730,000 per year.

The 7 Civic Amenity Sites will operate as Household Recycling Centres. Each site has been developed at a cost of approximately £300,000 per site with a focus to provide an outlet for household waste for reuse/recycle and only if not recyclable, for disposal.

Locations of the 7 Household Recycling Centres:

1. Newry HRC, Chapel Road, Newry. Tel: 028 3083 3699
   
2. Warrenpoint HRC, Upper Dromore Road, Warrenpoint. Tel:028 4175 2952
   
3. Newtownhamilton HRC, Newry Road, Newtownhamilton.
   Tel: 028 3087 8014
   
4. Hilltown HRC, Rostrevor Road, Hilltown. Tel:028 4063 8408
   
5. Camlough HRC, Quarter Road, Camlough. Tel: 028 3083 7352
   
6. Kilkeel HRC, Ballymageogh Road, Kilkeel. Tel: 028 4176 9485
   
7. Aughnagun HRC, Chapel Hill Road, Mayobridge. Tel: 028 3085 1914

New Opening Hours 2010
These times will be implemented from Monday 5th July 2010

Late Opening Summer Hours (1st April – 30th September)

Household Recycling Centre (HRC) Regulations

What the Household Recycling Centre user should get when visiting: -

• Knowledgeable recycling centre staff to give advice, guidance and physical assistance on site when required
  
• Easily accessible Household Recycling Centres with a range of recycling facilities
  
• Centres that have regular opening hours, are emptied and cleaned regularly
  
• Clearly see that all regulations will be enforced.

All users must comply with the following site regulations: -

• For your safety all users must comply with instructions from centre staff.
  
• HRC users are requested to be courteous to site staff and other customers. Abuse and intimidation of site staff and other customers will not be tolerated and legal action may be taken/ barring from the HRCs, if this occurs.
  
• HRC staff are authorised to inspect any waste brought onto the site and to question customers as to the origin of waste. Users to the sites must co-operate and can expect bags to be opened if required.
  
• Once left at the HRC, all waste becomes the property/ responsibility of the Council who may recover any reusable and recyclable items. Waste cannot be removed from the HRC by customers. Scavenging is not permitted and staff are advised to report any such incidents. Management will in turn inform the PSNI.
  
• The Household Recycling Centres are monitored by Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) for the safety and security of customers and staff.
  
• It is the responsibility of the driver to be aware of the overall height of their vehicle before proceeding under the height barriers at Newry, Hilltown, Warrenpoint and Newtownhamilton Household Recycling Centre.

Householder Information – Please read carefully, before visiting the HRCs.

Height Barriers

Height Barriers at Newry Household Recycling Centre

Please be aware that height barriers of 1.95metres will be in place at the entrances of Newry Warrenpoint, and Newtownhamilton to prevent trade vehicles using the facilities. This height will allow most People Carrier vehicles and 4x4s (except some models with roof racks) into the centres.

What can be accepted at each site?

Household waste is typically: -

1. The waste that you would normally put into your wheelie bin at home,
   
2. Green waste from your garden and
   
3. Items you would take with you when you move house. For example, you would not take the kitchen cabinets, doors, bathroom suites, etc. with you when you move house.

HRC users will be required to sort their waste and should not be permitted to dispose of recyclable waste to the general waste stream.

Materials for recycling

Users with car, small van/ small trailer loads of material for recycling will have free access to all sites.

The following materials can be recycled at the Household Recycling Centres (HRCs): -

General Materials

Electrical Goods

Car Materials

Restricted Materials*

Restricted Amounts**

*Only available at specific sites

• Plasterboard recycling only available at Aughnagun HRC and charges apply
  
• Paint is only allowed at Kilkeel, Camlough, Newry and Aughnagun HRCs.
  
• Tyres are only allowed at Kilkeel, Camlough and Aughnagun HRCs

**Limited amounts allowed per visit per day

• Cooking and engine oil restricted to 25 litres per visit per day
• Paint restricted to 10 litres per visit per day.

Materials for general waste skips

Only up to a car boot load (around 6 bags) of unsorted waste per user, allowed into the HRC’s per day.

What can’t be accepted at each site?

1. No wheelie bins allowed

No wheelie bins are allowed on site. This is due to health and safety issues regarding empting a wheelie bin into a skip at the centres. There is no tipping machinery at any of the sites for wheelie bins, and users risk injury. It is also our experience that Householders taking their waste in wheelie bins are unlikely to have sorted their waste. Householders are advised to bring waste to the centres in bags, preferably clear bags to enable attendants to see there is no materials that could be recycled in the bags.

Householders can receive from the Household Recycling Centres/ the Council’s Greenbank Offices, one free: -

• Green sack for the transport of green waste from their garden and
  
• White sack for the transport of materials for recycling e.g. glass.
  

Please ask the attendant for more information.

2. No asbestos allowed

3. General Waste

Any Householder coming to the Household Recycling Centre with more than a car boot load (estimate equivalent 50kgs/ 6 black bags) of unsorted waste will be asked to sort their waste into recyclable and non-recyclable materials.

4. Large van/trailer loads of materials

Large vans and large trailers of materials will only be accepted at Aughnagun, Camlough or Kilkeel HRC.

5. Plasterboard only accepted at Aughnagun

Restrictions regarding the disposal of plasterboard came into force, with effect from 2009. Plasterboard and other gypsum waste are now banned from landfill. Plasterboard contains high levels of sulphate and links with high sulphate wastes and production of toxic Hydrogen Sulphide have been identified. Under no circumstances should plasterboard be placed in the householder’s wheelie bin or mixed with DIY waste for disposal at the Household Recycling Centres.

Newry and Mourne District Council have set up a plasterboard skip at Aughnagun Household Recycling Centre and a charge applies.

6. Restrictions on home improvement and demolition waste

Building and home improvement wastes are not household waste and we are not required to accept this type of waste, or provide householders with free disposal for it.

Rubble

We only accept a car boot load of rubble waste once per day (Excavated material, including soil and sods, clay, gravel, stone, broken concrete, tarmac, etc) at any of the centres.

For loads over 50kg of other building and demolition wastes, rubble and soil, householders will have to make their own arrangements for the disposal of the waste, by hiring a skip or company to take it away. Details of companies offering these services can be found in the yellow pages under “waste management”.

Recyclable Home Improvement Materials

However, to facilitate householders, we will accept amounts up to car/small van/ trailer load (estimate equivalent 6 bags/50kg) of this type of waste, which can be recycled.

Large vans/ large trailer loads and above of these materials must go to Camlough, Aughnagun or Kilkeel Household Recycling Centre and charges may apply.

What is classed as building and home improvement waste/ non-household items?

• Greenhouses, sheds, panes of glass, window-frames, internal or external doors, garage doors, concrete slabs, bricks, blocks, plaster, cement, timber, radiators, fireplaces, gas fires.
  
• Bathroom fittings i.e. toilet, bath, shower base, shower-screen, wash-hand basin, bidet.
  
• Kitchen cupboards or base units and sink units.
  
• Water tanks and cylinders.
  
• Heaps or piles of loose branches.
  
• Gas cylinders.
  
• Motor vehicle or motorcycle parts including wheels and tyres.

6. Restriction on paint and oil

Paint is restricted to 10 litres per visit per day and is only accepted in Kilkeel, Camlough, Newry and Aughnagun HRC. These restrictions are due to budget issues with paint costing the ratepayer £25,000 last year for disposal. Completely empty metal paint tins can be put in the scrap metal skip for recycling. Completely empty plastic paint containers can be put in the general waste skip.

Due to the waste management licences for the Household Recycling Centres, cooking and car oil is restricted to 25 litres per visit per day.

7. Restriction on tyres

Tyres are not a household waste. The Council will however accept tyres but only at Kilkeel, Camlough and Aughnagun HRCs.

More Information

To find out more about what you can and can’t take to the HRC and for other information, please visit the links below.
FAQs
Leaflet – Household Recycling Centres
Leaflet - What to do with my Plasterboard?
Leaflet - Disposal of Paint

Commercial/ Trade Waste User Information

We understand that our HRCs have an important role in helping to provide accessible recycling and disposal facilities for local businesses. We aim to provide a facility to accept commercial waste service at our Camlough, Kilkeel and Aughnagun HRCs. Therefore, certain waste from businesses and large loads less than 1 tonne are accepted ONLY at Camlough, Kilkeel and Aughnagun.

PLEASE BE ADVISED
No unsorted waste from commercial, trade, shop, business, agricultural source can be accepted at Newry, Hilltown, Newtownhamilton or Warrenpoint Household Recycling Centres.

To find out more visit our Commercial/ Trade Waste Services page or click here to see our guidance leaflet for business users.

Feedback

We welcome feedback from you about the operation of the HRCs (complaints and suggestions). Please contact us at recycling@newryandmourne.gov.uk or call 028 30313233 or write to The Customer Services Department, Newry and Mourne District Council, Haughey House, Greenbank Industrial Estate, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 2QU. Queries put in writing will receive a reply in writing within 10 days.