Northern Ireland is drowning under the amount of rubbish it produces, Environment Minister Sammy Wilson has warned. The Minister told an Institute of Directors lunch in Belfast, that while progress had been made in reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, everyone from local to central government, the business community and the general public had to play their part.
Mr Wilson said, "Waste is a serious matter. Who can honestly say they have never found themselves struggling for an answer when visitors to these shores notice the careless way people dispose of their waste by littering the countryside, our beaches and city streets? It is embarrassing to admit, but Northern Ireland is drowning under the weight of the waste it produces. Worse still, many people still regard waste as some else's problem. We need to change that mindset."
Under the Landfill Directive 99/31/EC, Northern Ireland's 26 district councils face a series of targets and deadlines to reduce the use of landfill. Failure to meet the targets would result in very severe fines, but the Minister acknowledged that while councils had already taken significant steps to address the issue, householders and businesses could do more to help bring about change. "We need to stop looking at waste as someone else's problem or just as something that needs to be disposed of. Businesses and consumers can do their bit by careful waste management. Cutting down or eliminating unnecessary packaging and keeping recycling in mind at all times will have an almost immediate effect."
Mr Wilson says his department is now aiming to reach every household, business and school to increase public awareness of what they could do to address waste and look after the environment.
