Landfill tax aids Clooney community

Beneficiaries of landfill tax include a refurbished pipe organ in All Saints' Church Clooney and the Caw Estate were environmental improvements were carried out using revenue raised from it.

A total of 4,736,936.19 has been given to projects registered by Northern Ireland Environmental Bodies since 1 April 2005 as part of the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), which is funded by the landfill tax and administered by a private sector regulator, ENTRUST, on behalf of Her Majesty Revenue and Customs.

Additionally 2,059,036 was provided as grants between 2005-2009 by the Department as part of the Community Waste Innovation Fund (CWIF) to support sustainable waste management projects.

A number of Environmental Bodies - Groundwork Northern Irleand (GNI), Pipe Organ Reservation Trust (PORT), Derry Healthy Cities (DHC), Wildlife Trust (WT), Creggan Country Park Enterprises (CCPE), Limavady Community Development Initiative (LCDI) - have all received landfill tax money.

GNI helped create gardens in Maydown, Galliagh and Ballymagroarty; make environmental improvements in Caw; create a multi-use games area in Lettershandoney; regenerate Riverview Park; improve the Glen Play Park; create a village green playground at Eglinton and enhance access to the Claudy play area.

PORT rebuilt a pipe organ in All Saints' Church Clooney whilst CCPE used money received for the Creggan Country Park Access Project.

DHC helped make environmental improvements to Derry City Open Spaces and develop a Sports Pavillion at Culmore Playing Fields.

WT put money into the Umbra Nature Reserve near Limavady as well as into the Ballynahone Bog and a Castlerock Community Association Garden.

Under the CWIF LCDI applied for 167,758 to provide a home collection service for glass, textiles, furniture, garden waste and paper and to employ a project co-ordinator and general operative to work in the Limavady area to make a significant contribution to the NI Local & Council Waste Management.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots revealed the information in response to a question table at the Stormont Assembly.

He advised: "There are two methods of receiving funding through the LCF: directly from a landfill operator or, the most common way, is to approach a Distributive Environmental Body (DEB), who will distribute funds on behalf of the landfill operator.

"A landfill operator can contribute up to 6 per cent of their landfill tax liability to EBs, and reclaim 90 per cent of this contribution as a tax credit. They may bear the remaining 10 per cent themselves, or else an independent third party can make up this 10 per cent difference to the landfill operator."