Pupils get planting to raise awareness of charity's vital work

The compost was produced from food and garden waste collected via brown bins in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area.

Pupils from Ballymacash Primary School joined up with the council, the community centre, Marie Curie and the NI Housing Executive Community Team during European Waste Reduction Week to plant a daffodil border around the community garden boundary.

The flowers will bloom in the spring, helping to remind people about the vital services Marie Curie Cancer Care provides for people with a terminal illness and their families.

Alderman Tommy Jeffers, Chairman of the council’s Environmental Services Committee, said: “The Council is pleased to have the opportunity to donate bags of compost to worthwhile community projects throughout the year. To have a charity awareness raising bulb planting initiative during European Waste Reduction Week was very timely and the children had fun, despite the weather.”

He continued: “Residents across the council area are being responsible and recycling their food waste in their brown bins. From November 1 it has been essential that all residents place any food waste in their brown bins to avoid a disruption to their landfill bin collection. It has been six months since the council placed ‘no food waste’ stickers on all landfill bins in the area and there has been a significant increase in the tonnage of food and garden waste collected. Please keep up the good work.

“Composting makes sense for both the environment and your pocket as it improves soil quality and reduces the amount of landfill waste, therefore, saving ratepayers’ money.”

For more information about recycling and waste management call the Recycling Hotline on 028 9250 9453 or log on to www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/resident/bins-recycling