City Council unveils major recycling drive

Belfast City Council currently recycles around 4% of its waste compared to a European average of more than 50%.

The figure was revealed today as the council announced a range of initiatives to improve the rate of recycling across the city and make citizens aware of the increasing financial and environmental costs of dealing with waste.

The move is part of Belfast City Council’s Brighter Belfast initiative, which was unveiled earlier this year and has already included the launch of a number of projects to improve the attractiveness of the city and a major anti-litter advertising and publicity campaign.

Councillor Jim Clarke, Chairman of the Health and Environmental Services Committee, said: “The initiatives taken by the Council will make recycling much easier for householders to the extent that they will almost have to make a conscious decision not to recycle.

“We are currently spending £6.25 million collecting rubbish from homes in Belfast and £4.5 million disposing of that rubbish. That total (of £11 million) will increase significantly in the coming years with the closure of Dargan Road landfill site on the near horizon in 2006.

“We also face heavy fines if we fail to meet the targets set by the EC Landfill Directive, which states that we must reduce the amount of biodegradable waste going to landfill by 25% of the 1995 waste figures by 2010, 50% by 2013 and 65% by 2020. And waste appears to have grown by about 3% each year since 1995."

Plans for recycling include the opening of three Household Recycling Centres next week, with a fourth to be opened in the south of Belfast next year, up to 70,000 homes being provided with a blue recycling bin by the end of 2005/2006, a weekly recycling box collection scheme is being rolled-out for 50,000 homes this year, along with ‘Mini Bring’ sites for recycling glass at 30 locations.

Cllr Clarke added: "Every home in Belfast throws away about one tonne each year, amounting to about 133,173 tonnes. If compressed into one tonne per cubic metre, it would be enough to bury the City Hall.

“I firmly believe the measures we are announcing today will go a long way to tackling these issues but we do need the support and encourage changes in attitude and behaviour from everyone towards waste disposal and get across the message that recycling is the future."

(MB)