Your Recycling Matters: Building on the Borough's recycling success
Released: Thursday 29 October 2026
Residents across Ards and North Down are already making a significant contribution to protecting the environment, recycling around 47,000 tonnes of material every year and helping the Borough achieve a household recycling rate of 56%. These efforts are not only reducing waste but also delivering real environmental and financial benefits, with recycling helping to save an estimated £5 million in disposal costs, and avoid around 17,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
Now, Ards and North Down Borough Council is building on that success with the launch of its new Your Recycling Matters campaign, designed to encourage residents to recycle even more and recycle correctly by showing how every household can make a difference.
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Pupils from Clandeboye Primary School joined the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Craig Blaney, to launch the new Your Recycling Matters campaign
Clandeboye PS Recycling
The campaign will also highlight MyRecyclingNI, sharing information on what happens to materials after they are collected. By showing where recycling goes and how it is turned into new products, the initiative aims to build confidence in the recycling process and encourage even greater participation.
To mark the launch, pupils from Clandeboye Primary School joined the Council to help share the message that everyone's recycling matters. Their involvement reflects the important role that future generations are playing in creating a more sustainable Borough, and highlights how small actions today can have a lasting impact tomorrow.
The campaign aims to increase kerbside recycling rates, reduce contamination in recycling bins and help residents better understand what can and cannot be recycled. By making the right choices at home, residents can help ensure more materials are successfully recycled, reducing waste, cutting carbon emissions and supporting a cleaner environment for future generations.
Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Craig Blaney, said:
"Residents across our Borough are already doing a fantastic job recycling, and this campaign is about celebrating that achievement while encouraging everyone to play their part to increase that impact.
When we recycle correctly, we help protect natural resources, reduce waste and support a more sustainable future for our communities.
It was particularly fitting to join with pupils from Clandeboye Primary School to help launch the campaign. Their enthusiasm for recycling and protecting the environment reminds us that the actions we take today will help shape the world they inherit tomorrow.
Your recycling really does matter, and together we can continue to make Ards and North Down one of Northern Ireland's top-performing council areas for recycling."
The campaign will be delivered through outdoor advertising, digital displays, social media and local media channels, providing residents with clear, practical advice on how to recycle more effectively and avoid common recycling mistakes.
Residents are encouraged to visit the Council website and download the Bin-ovation app, which provides recycling guidance, bin collection information and handy reminders to help households get the most from their recycling services.
For more information about recycling services across the Borough, visit www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/recycle and www.myrecyclingni.org.uk
Photo Caption: Pupils from Clandeboye Primary School joined the Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Craig Blaney, to launch the new Your Recycling Matters campaign, celebrating residents' recycling achievements and encouraging everyone to recycle more and recycle right.
