Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the roll out of the first phase of the expansion of glass collections which commenced on 27th January 2025.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       Members are requested to note the contents of the report.

3.0       Main Report

            Expansion of Kerbside glass collections

3.1       Members will be aware of the ongoing work to deliver phase 1 of the expansion of the kerbside glass collection scheme. As previously reported, this phase will cover approximately 23,000 households in the east, south and west of the city, including the circa 3000 LGR transfer households who were switched to a blue bin scheme during the Local Government Reform transfer and therefore their kerbside glass service was discontinued at that time.

3.2       The project, which is part funded by DAERA, intends to expand the service to all remaining Council Households in phases 2 and 3 in 2025/26 and 2026/27, subject to further funding being agreed by Council.

3.3       The project will improve access to kerbside services and increase the amount of household waste that can be recycled and drive improved circularity of materials, which will be processed locally in Northern Ireland.

3.4       The current kerbside glass service will be expanded to include two additional vehicles and two additional crews. They will collect 44 litre boxes from households and shared 240 litre communal glass bins from apartments every two weeks. Each crew and vehicle will service 10 routes across a fortnightly cycle, meaning 20 additional routes in total. A total of 22,597 households will receive glass collections as part of this expansion phase.

Individual Households

3.5       The Resource and Fleet Service began the operational rollout of the expanded service on 27th January 2025. For all of the service expansion for individual households there will be a rollout plan with three elements

·             Firstly, The Resource Advisor Team will begin hand delivering communications to every address, in route onboarding sequence to residents, outlining how the scheme works when to expect their new container and when to expect their first collection.

·             Next the BCC contractor will deliver 44 litre boxes to households within 3-6 working days after letters are delivered. The boxes delivered will also contain a leaflet giving more information and QR code if needed, which will allow the resident to check their collection day. Corporate Comms will also provide communications support through social media and web updates.

·             Finally, collections will begin. For those residents receiving letters week commencing 27th of January, glass collections will commence on 10th February. It is envisaged that all individual households will be fully onboarded and receiving fortnightly collections by week commencing 7th March.

Apartments

3.6       In relation to apartments, those apartments within phase 1 which have already been assessed in advance to have communal bins, will be onboarded separately.

3.7       The BCC contractor will deliver bins to these 72 sites week commencing Monday 3rd March with communications rolled out to sites by the Resource Advisor team. The apartments collections will commence between 10th March and 21st March. After this point, the service will be fully onboarded and become “business as usual”.

Financial and Resource Implications

3.8       In relation to the expansion of glass collections, DAERA will 50/50 match fund the agreed capital requirements as agreed in their Letter of Offer, subject to the Memorandum of Understanding having been agreed by the Council.

Equality or Good Relations Implications/

Rural Needs Assessment

3.9       None.”

            Regarding the locations to be chosen for years two and three of the scheme, the Committee was advised that  a report would be submitted for its consideration in due course.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report and welcomed the extension of the schemes as outlined therein.