Northern Ireland recycling rate jumps 3.6 percent

Northern Ireland’s quarterly recycling has jumped 3.6% compared to figures for the same period the previous year.

Northern Ireland’s councils collected 228,142 tonnes of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste between January and March 2019, 2.5% higher than the 222,490 tonnes collected during the same three months of 2018.

Household waste accounted for 88.4% of total LAC municipal waste. Belfast and Fermanagh & Omagh produced the smallest quantity of household waste per capita at 98kg each, whilst the largest quantity per capita was recorded in Antrim & Newtownabbey at 129kg.

The household waste preparing for reuse, dry recycling and composting rate was 47.2% between January and March 2019, an increase on the 43.6% recorded during the same three months of 2018.

The household waste preparing for reuse, dry recycling and composting rate was 47.2% between January and March 2019, an increase on the 43.6% recorded during the same three months of 2018.

At council level, rates varied from 41.4% in Lisburn & Castlereagh to 52.8% in Antrim & Newtownabbey.

The LAC municipal waste energy recovery rate was 21.5%, an increase on the 19.7% reported for January to March 2018.

The highest rate was recorded in Newry, Mourne & Down at 49.6% and the lowest was 5.4% in Ards & North Down.

The latest quarterly landfill rate for household waste is 28.4%, a further reduction on the 34.0% recorded during the same three months of 2018.

There were 39,681 tonnes of biodegradable local authority collected municipal waste (BLACMW) sent to landfill between January and March 2019.

This was 14.2% lower than the 46,270 tonnes sent between the same three months of 2018, and accounted for a smaller proportion of the permitted annual allowance allocated to councils for sending BLACMW to landfill, 16.9% between January and March 2019 compared to 18.6% in the equivalent quarter of 2018.

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