Landfilled waste is reduced by council

THE annual report of the City Engineers Department says the amount of municipal waste landfilled was slashed in Londonderry last year with a recycling rate of 32-33 per cent attained in 2009/10.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Jun 2010, 12:40 BST

The report - due to be presented to the Council Environmental Services Committee tomorrow - also notes an annual reduction of 3.5 per cent in carbon emissions from Council Buildings resulting in a cumulative reduction of over 15 per cent since 2007/08 on 2006/07 base levels.

This amounts to a current saving on Council energy bills of over 225,000 per year and an annual reduction in carbon emissions of over 700 tonnes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A significant reduction in sickness absence days by 14 per cent in 2009/10 by comparison with 2008/09 was also achieved.

A corresponding drop in Departmental absenteeism rates from 9.79 per cent in 2008/09 to 7.85 per cent in 2009/10; a further fall in Departmental overtime rates by 0.5 per cent reducing the rate to 9.4 per cent from almost 12 per cent in 2007/08 and savings in Departmental mileage costs of approximately 20,000 in 2009/10 - down 26 per cent on 2008/ 09 levels, was also noted.

The findings of the report will be presented to tomorrow's meeting by the City Engineer.

Other successes noted in the report were an increase in the range of materials which can be recycled through the kerbside blue bin collection scheme; the completion of a substantial expansion to the Civic Amenity Site at Pennyburn; and an increase in opening hours and the introduction of Sunday opening at both Pennyburn and Glendermott Road Civic Amenity Sites.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

High street cleaniness rates; the successful completion of major safety works at City of Derry Airport; the completion of an extension to City Cemetery providing over 600 additional burial plots; the appointment of a contractor for external restoration works to the Guildhall and advancement of design work and public consultations in relation to both the Culmore Landfill Site Restoration and Brooke Park Regeneration projects were also hailed as key achievements.

Progress on St Columb's Park Toddler Play Area, Galliagh Play Park, Bishop's Field District Park in Creggan, Glen Play Park, Shantallow Multi Use Games Area and the Leafair 3G pitch facility was also made last year.