Northern Ireland is still some way behind other parts of the UK, with households recycling less than 30% of waste.
New figures published this month show little improvement on last year’s, with the country recycling or composting 29% of its municipal waste in the first three months of the year – just 0.2% more than during the same period in 2009. This compares to England, which by 2007/08 was already recycling 34.5% of its household waste with Defra claiming the country will hit its 40% target by the end of 2010.
The largely unchanged rate puts Northern Ireland in conflict with the European Landfill Directive, which requires significant improvements in waste management or the prospect of hefty fines.
However in more positive news, the figures reveal that the volume of waste being produced by Northern Ireland appears to be falling – down 2.4% on the same quarter last year. The breakdown of recycled materials shows paper (33%) and green waste (27%) as the most common
Glass made up 9% of recycled waste, electrical goods 6% and cans 2%. The proportion of waste sent for recycling in the current quarter was just over 22%, while for composting it was around 8%.
