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Northern Ireland Environment Minister Edwin
Poots has welcomed quarterly figures that show households
are now recycling more waste than ever before (39%), exceeding
targets for the second consecutive quarter in 2009.
The household recycling targets for April to September 2009
have exceeded the 35% target set for 2010.
Commenting on the results, Minister Poots said - “Recycling
is increasingly part of everyday life in households across
Northern Ireland. People are rethinking how they treat waste
and are clearly considering the impact their waste has on
the environment.”
The Northern Ireland Municipal Waste Management Statistics
report (Jul - Sept 2009) also indicated that composting accounted
for 19%, with recycling making up the other 20% of household
waste recycled. The remaining 61% of household waste was sent
to landfill sites. Whilst municipal waste sent to landfill
was almost 2% less when compared to the same quarter in 2008,
there was a 21% decrease in biodegradable municipal waste
(BMW) being sent to landfill by councils in Northern Ireland
over this same period.
The Minister continued - “The continued reduction in biodegradable
municipal waste going to landfill means less landfill gas
emissions - such as methane - being released into our environment.
This reduction not only minimises the long-term impact on
our surrounding environment, but also reduces greenhouse gas
emissions.
“These latest statistics demonstrate the commitment of both
local councils and my Department in helping reduce both recyclable
and biodegradable municipal waste being sent to landfill sites.
We need to keep this momentum going as there is clearly room
for more improvement.”
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