Bin there, done that: Look out for the Waste No Time Project

From Cushendall to Kilrea, Greysteel and Portrush the new Council covers some of the most beautiful places in Northern Ireland

And the one key service that we all share and that we can’t do without is our bins.

Funded by the Building Change Trust, the 18-month project will interact closely with communities across the region.

Speaking to the Coleraine Times, Karin Eyben, from Corrymeela, one of the partners in this project, said: “We came up with the logo of a bin because the lifting of bins is such a key service that connects us all, wherever we live and whoever we are, as well as the importance of not ‘binning our voices and stories’ as we work together in growing our new Council.”

Over the next six months, the project will be out and about across the new Council area with a short outdoor performance and a pop-up café for people to come and chat to us about what matters to them in their communities, what they are proud of, and their bright ideas for what their new Council should be doing that could make a positive difference to their lives.

“We believe that we need to be creative in how we engage people and we need to go to where people are at,” says Darren Ferguson from Beyond Skin, another partner in the project.

“So you’ll see us outside shops, pubs, local schools, car-boot sales, churches, workplaces, clubs and all sorts of places so do stop and talk to us!”

Karin adds: “We hope that through the project we all become a little more informed about what is happening with our new Council, that people stop at our pop-up café and share a story, and that people stay involved in the project and help us in the exciting next phase.”

“Most people would say that I know nothing about what is happening with my new Council, despite everyone’s best efforts. We can all get a little cynical about our politicians as well. This project is about trying to change this a little and to seize the opportunities of the new Council and community planning.” said Lyn Moffett, Building Communities Resource Centre.

The other two partners on the project are Charo Lanao-Madden and Rural Community Network. If you would like to find out more about the project visit www.wastenotime.net;

Twitter @WasteNoTime2 #dontbinyourvoice;

Facebook:Waste No Time Project (WNoT).