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New report reveals less rubbish going to landfill

There has been a large drop in the landfill rate over the past 10 years, according to a new report
There has been a large drop in the landfill rate over the past 10 years, according to a new report There has been a large drop in the landfill rate over the past 10 years, according to a new report

LESS rubbish is making its way into landfill, a new report has found.

There has been a large drop in the landfill rate over the past 10 years, falling from 74 per cent to 43 per cent in 2014/15.

In the past year alone, waste sent to landfill has decreased by more than five percentage points.

Research has found dry recycling, composting and energy recovery rates have all increased as alternative methods of waste treatment.

The findings were revealed in Northern Ireland local authority municipal waste management statistics annual report, which was published yesterday.

It found that councils across the north collected 951,423 tonnes of municipal waste during over the past year - an increase of 2.9 per cent on the previous year.

Newry and Mourne and Fermanagh district councils generated the smallest quantities of household waste per person at 391kg and 396kg per person.

re has been strong growth in energy recovery in recent years due to the increasing use of dirty material recovery facilities which help isolate material for this purpose.

Northern Ireland's previous 26 district councils collected 951,423 tonnes of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste during 2014/15.

The largest quantities per person were recorded in Antrim Borough Council at 571kg per person.

The figures, which were recorded before the establishment of the 11 super councils, also reveals that Banbridge and Magherafelt district councils had the lowest LAC municipal landfill rates last year at 7.2 and 17.1 per cent.

The former Ards Borough Council, Down District Council and Newry and Mourne District Council had the highest landfill rates of up to 60.6 per cent.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: "We have come a long way in the last 10 years as the drop in landfilling shows.

"More and more people recognise the value of our waste both as a resource to be conserved and, if that's not possible, as an energy source."