Mid and East Antrim residents '˜commended' for Christmas waste recycling

Householders have been recycling their Christmas waste in numbers that have impressed the Mayor, Cllr Lindsay Millar.

The Mayor said: “Recycling saves ratepayers’ money and also combats environmental damage. Our citizens are to be commended for their efforts and we thank them for their support to date.

“The Christmas and New Year period is a time when a lot of additional waste is created – from packaging to paper, cards and glass bottles to extra food waste, and most of this can be recycled.

“I’ve been really encouraged by the amount of people bringing their trees to our recycling centres. The Christmas trees go to Natural World Products, who use them along with other green waste from our recycling centres to produce high quality, organic peat-free compost.

“This compost is used in council parks during the year and is made available to the public free of charge during compost week (6-12 May 2019).”

Last year, figures showed Mid and East Antrim’s recycling rate had shot up by 6.8% to 50.1%. This is largely down to an increase in household waste composting, with citizens continuing to outperform many of their counterparts.

Reduced landfill costs as a result of the move are expected to deliver annual savings of £200,000 – meaning those funds are available for other projects and work.

The Mayor added: “Household waste costs over £100 per tonne landfill tax. Recycling this waste saves over 50% on this cost. Recycling is good for the environment and will leave our countryside and green spaces in a beautiful and undisturbed state for your children and grandkids as a result of less landfill sites across the country.”

For more information on recycling, visit www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/recycling