Concerns raised over food caddy capacity for larger families ahead of recommencement of roll out in Derry in next two weeks

Mr. Canning was responding to concerns raised by SDLP Councillor Brian Tierney over the size of the new environmentally friendly bins, ahead of the recommencement of the phased roll-out of the amenities in Derry, which is due over the next two to three weeks.

Mr. Tierney, speaking during the council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee meeting on Wednesday, noted the council was warning people that their black wheelie bins will not be collected by bin lorry crews if they are contaminated with food waste.

But Colr. Tierney suggested larger families would struggle to last a week without filling their food caddies to overflowing.

“They are too small. I have a family of six and they wouldn’t do me for a week,” he said.

Mr. Canning said he accepted the caddies’ size could be an issue for larger families and indicated his staff would be happy to talk to any concerned citizens about mitigation measures, including larger caddies if necessary.

However, the bins’ small size is about discouraging unnecessary consumption, he said.

“It’s to do with food waste reduction and to try to get people to think about the amount of waste they are generating,” he said.

“We’ve all seen the ‘buy one, get one’ free offers in the supermarkets. You end up sticking one in the fridge and then dumping it,” he added.