Funding for council recycling scheme

Awarded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, it will allow the Council to continue to develop and expand on its existing recycling initiatives and help maintain its position as the best recycling Council in Northern Ireland.

With additional funds secured, the Council is preparing to launch a comprehensive education and awareness programme to promote food waste and recycling, which will include supplying a free roll of compostable kitchen caddy bin liners to each household throughout the district that will help encourage food waste recycling.

The Council currently operates a fortnightly brown and blue bin recycling collection service for food and garden waste and mixed dry recyclables to over 50,000 households in the district.

Last year, Mid Ulster District Council achieved an overall recycling rate of 49.7%.

Under its waste plan for 2016/2017 the Council aims to build on its current lead in recycling performance in NI, increase the Council’s household recycling rate and ensure continued meeting of statutory recycling targets.

With key performance indicators suggesting that it is well on its way to exceed a recycling and composting rate of 50% of all household waste by 2020.

Announcing the award, Councillor Trevor Wilson, Chair Mid Ulster District Council, said: “This is a timely announcement given that September 12-18 is National Recycle Week, a campaign which helps to create broad awareness of the environmental benefits of recycling”.

“Locally, Mid Ulster District Council is determined to provide our residents with much more sustainable ways of managing their waste.

“This fund will go towards helping the Council meet its targets for waste minimisation, recycling and reduction in landfill.

“The majority of households throughout the region are already recycling and using their coloured bins effectively, but there is always the potential to do more, so I would urge everyone to review their recycling practices and get into the daily routine of managing their waste as much as possible.”

For more information on recycling and waste collection services in the Mid Ulster District go to: http://www.midulstercouncil.org/recycle