Northern Ireland's first seabin has been installed in Bangor Marina today, 20 November.

A seabin is an innovative waste bin that removes garbage from the water of docks and marinas.

This is the first of three seabins that have been purchased by Ards and North Down Borough Council. A further seabin will be installed in Bangor Marina, with an additional one planned for Portaferry.

These installations form part of the council's trial period. If successful, more seabins will be rolled out across the district.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Richard Smart said: "Innovation is at the heart of Ards and North Down Borough Council's waste management and recycling programme, which has the overarching theme of STAND for Sustainability. One of the Borough's particular strengths is its natural landscape of sea, loughs and land.

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"The Council is working on a number of ambitious waterway projects including the Bangor Coastal Masterplan, we also have 115 miles of coastline, which draws tourists from across Northern Ireland and further afield. This initiative will help keep our coasts healthy in the fight against the eight million pieces of plastic that find their way into our oceans daily, making the sea a cleaner and safer place for both residents and local marine wildlife."

Stephen Addy, Head of Regulatory Services, Ards and North Down Borough Council, added: "We are delighted to get this project up and running. The sooner the bins are in the water the faster the process of removing plastic from our coastlines and oceans can begin. This is just one of a number of exciting projects the council is launching to tackle the well-publicised problem of plastic in our environment. It has been made possible by residents and businesses in the Borough 'reducing, recycling and re-using'.

"I would like to thank council officers for their pro-active and progressive 'can do' attitude in taking this project forward. I am very much looking forward to the results of the pilot."

(CM/MH)