Housing and apartment developments in Belfast: supplementary guidance on waste storage

Contents

1. Waste collection schemes operating in Belfast
2. Designing individual waste storage areas for dwellings (houses or apartments)
3. Designing communal waste storage areas for dwellings (houses or apartments)
4. Example
5. Apartment management measures
6. Useful contacts

You should use this document along with the Local Government Waste Storage Guide for Northern Ireland. It will give you information on the specific waste storage needs for new houses and apartments in Belfast. It does not replace any legislation or remove the need for developers to consult with our Planning or Building Control Services to ensure compliance with relevant policy and legislation. You should still refer to the Local Government guide for the wider design considerations, including location and access. 

1. Waste collection schemes operating in Belfast 

 We operate two main household waste collection schemes in Belfast. One scheme serves 90,000 homes making up the ‘outer’ ring of the city; the other serves the 55,000 homes comprising the ‘inner’ core of the city. Contact us on 0800 032 8100 to confirm whether your new development is located in the ‘outer’ or ‘inner’ city area. 

2. Designing individual waste storage areas for dwellings (houses or apartments) 

Table 1: Waste collection arrangements for dwellings with individual waste storage areas¹ 

3. Designing communal waste storage areas for dwellings (houses or apartments)

• i. Use Table 1 on page 13 of the Local Government guide to estimate the total waste which will be generated from the development each week. 
• ii. Break down the total weekly waste estimate into the various proportions set out in Table 2. 

Table 2: Breakdown of the proportions of the total weekly waste to be accommodated in communal containers (for both ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ city developments)²

• iii. Establish the capacity needed for each type of waste and identify the appropriate types and quantities of containers 

Use the collection frequency information in Table 3 to establish how much of each type of waste needs to be accommodated: the development will need capacity to hold one or two weeks waste, depending on whether that waste is collected weekly or fortnightly.

Use the container information in Table 3 to select the types and quantities of containers you will use to accommodate the three types of waste. 

• 1 - This guidance and the space to be allocated applies to typical dwellings comprising up to 3 bedrooms; dwellings with more than 3 bedrooms may require additional space. Contact Planning Service or Building Control for additional guidance. 
• 2 - This breakdown relates to Paragraph 1.3.1 of the Local Government guide. 

Table 3: Waste collection arrangements for dwellings with communal waste storage areas

4. Example

For an apartment building containing 60 units, made up of 20 x 1-bed apartments, 20 x 2-bed apartments and 20 x 3-bed apartments: 

The waste generated per week is calculated as follows (using Table 1 on p.13 of the Local Government Guide):

Use the information provided in Table 2 of this supplementary guidance to work out how much of each type of waste is generated each week. Use Table 3 to establish whether capacity is needed for one week’s waste or two weeks’ waste, and how many bins are needed. 

Table 4 shows how the information is applied for an outer city development, and Table 5 shows the workings for an inner city development (note that the left half of each table is the same). 

Table 4: Outer city apartments example solution

Table 5: Inner city apartments example solution

5. Apartment management measures 

We are committed to maximising recycling in the city, to protect the environment, comply with legislation and minimise costs. Maximising recycling and minimising contamination is more difficult in developments with communal bins. Therefore, we expect apartment developers to implement the following measures to make sure that recycling is optimised: 

1. Manage waste storage areas so that there is always enough space available for residual waste, dry recycling and food waste, and that this is accessible at all times. 
2. Provide information and signage for tenants about the waste management arrangements and which items should be placed in which bin. 
3. Co-operate with us to promote recycling among residents.
4. Make sure tenants comply with waste and recycling arrangements as a condition of their tenancy agreement. 

6. Useful contacts