Residents’ views sought as Minister aims to increase recycling rates across NI

The Minister made the comments on a visit to the Newtownabbey plant of Bryson Recycling, the UK’s largest social enterprise recycler, where he launched a new 12-week consultation on how the community can improve recycling and waste management to achieve that ambition.

Entitled ‘Rethinking Our Resources: Measures for Climate Action and a Circular Economy in NI’, the consultation has 26 proposals for change, including the possibility of recycling a wider variety of materials in kerbside bins, enhancing food waste collections and reducing the amount of residual waste allowed.

The aim of the consultation is to bring forward new policy options for the DAERA Minister to consider. Proposals and questions focus on issues such as how new measures might best be implemented, considering views on practicality, economic barriers and how the future of recycling in Northern Ireland might look.

Commenting on the consultation process, Minister Muir said: “Recycling should be an integral, yet simple, everyday activity that people can carry out whether they are at home, their place of work, educational or healthcare setting, or a social hub.

“The proposals within this consultation have been collaboratively designed through a period of extensive engagement with key stakeholders, and we are keen to hear the views of everyone.

"Whilst there are legislative requirements on us to recycle more and send less to landfill, we know it is the right thing to do. The simple fact is that recycling is good for us, our local economy and the planet."

Speaking at the launch event on March 7, Katy Fulton, Director of Bryson Recycling, added: “This is a momentous day. I have been with the company for 19 years and I have seen a lot of progress being made in the sector over this time.

"We process recyclables from 50 per cent of Northern Ireland’s homes and as the Bryson Charitable Trust, we operate in 22 locations across Wales, Northern Ireland and Donegal, employing over 1,000 people across the sites.

"It’s great to see this consultation being launched. We have the capacity to reduce the amount going to landfill.”

A Departmental spokesperson explained: “In Northern Ireland the current household waste recycling rate is 51.1 per cent compared to 10 per cent in 2002. It is hoped the proposals could see the rate increase to 74 per cent.

“The proposals, which are aimed at households and the non-household municipal sector, include the implementation of the EU Circular Economy Package which would see legislation for recycling extended to businesses which produce waste which is similar in nature to that from households.

"Another proposal is to extend Food Waste Regulations to all businesses and increase recycling rates from the non-household municipal sector.”

The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 came into effect on June 6 2022 and contains a requirement for decarbonisation of the waste management sector and a requirement of at least 70 per cent of waste to be recycled by 2030.

The full consultation, which is open until 5pm on May 30, is available to view here