Figures released by Environment Minister Edwin Poots show an annual 7 percent decrease in biodegradable municipal waste being sent to landfill by Councils in Northern Ireland. The 2008/09 Municipal Waste Management and Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS) Reports also indicate a 4.1 percent decrease in municipal waste generated in 2008/09 compared to last year.

Another key finding was that the household waste recycling rate had risen to 34.4 percent, a 2.5 percent annual increase, maintaining the upward trend of the last three years. These figures indicate that Northern Ireland is currently on track to meet the recycling and composting targets of at least 35 percent of household waste by 2010.

Minister Poots welcomed the results. He said: “Whilst we are only three years into the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy (2006-2020), these results are very encouraging. Both biodegradable municipal waste generated and household waste recycling are at their lowest and highest levels respectively.

“This indicates that Northern Ireland is on course to meet next year’s challenging targets of no more than 470,000 tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled and a household waste recycling rate of at least 35 percent.”

The reports also highlight that the amount of household waste generated decreased by 5.2 percent compared to the previous period. Approximately 66 percent of this waste was landfilled whilst 21 percent was recovered by recycling and the remaining 13 percent by composting.

The Minister continued: “I want to thank everyone involved in this endeavour from the householder to the waste management groups, however we need to aim even higher, not just for the benefit of our environment but for that of future generations.

“It continues to concern me that on average each and every person in Northern Ireland still generates almost ½ tonne of household waste per year, however, I know that this can change and that together we will make a difference to the environment in the years ahead.”

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