Overfilled bins may not be emptied by council | UK News

Household bins in Belfast which are so full that the lid cannot close may soon not be emptied by Belfast City Council.

A new zero-tolerance policy is set to be enforced before the end of June.

Bins which have been overfilled more than once will be issued with a red tag and not collected.

The plan was backed by a City Hall committee on Tuesday night, and is likely to be ratified by the full council at the start of May.

Health and safety issues were cited as the reason for the new policy.

There is also a proposed ban on bin liners which refers to the extra-large liners used by some households to cover the inside of their outdoor black household bins.

The council report said “the use of these bin liners had the potential to snag on equipment and bin lifters”.

In a recent survey carried out by the council, about one in 10 bins were so full that the lid would not close.

Under the new plan, householders will initially receive a warning, with an amber coloured tag placed on a bin that is overfilled.

Referred to as a “bedding in period”, it will apply between 12 May and 23 June.

After that, a red tag will be attached, meaning the bin will not be emptied by council staff.

A report by officials to the people and communities committee at City Hall set out the reasons behind the proposed new policy.

It said that spillages and falling objects from overfilled bins are a safety risk to staff, and can also damage collection vehicles.

The report states that waste collection was carried out “in a pragmatic way in that if an individual bin was open slightly, the crews would be expected to collect”.

“However, in effect, this was running contrary to council policy.”

It added that in 2023 there was a fatality in Coventry “as a result of the operator being caught by the bin lifter and lifted into the back of the collection vehicle and crushed”.

As part of the changes, additional sensors are currently being added to newly manufactured collection vehicles.

The report states: “Any bin presented with a raised lid will trigger the sensor and the bin lifter will cut out.”

In August and September 2024, the council carried out a survey involving 6,195 bins. More than 500 bins – 9.5% of those surveyed – had a raised lid on collection day.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, councillors agreed the new policy.

Although there was widespread support for the plan, a council official admitted “this isn’t going to be easy”.

If the policy is approved next month, an extensive publicity campaign will take place to inform ratepayers about the changes.

After the meeting on Tuesday night, the moves towards implementing the new policy were welcomed by the chair of the people and communities committee, Ruth Brooks.

The DUP councillor said: “We have a duty to protect our employees. While we rely on bin collections, we cannot do it at the cost of staff safety.

“Bin liners and overfilled bins are putting our operatives in danger and so we are acting now.

“All residents will have time to adjust to this new policy, but this is a sensible phased plan to protect staff and maintain collection services.”