£132k To Prevent Food Waste In L'Derry

A £132,000 grant from the Department of the Environment's Rethink Waste Fund has been approved to help prevent food waste in L'Derry.

The money has been provided through the Department's Rethink Waste Fund, supports the Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 to divert food waste away from landfill and into recycling.

The DOE said over 150,000 tonnes of food waste is sent off to landfill every year in Northern Ireland. 118,000 tonnes is household food waste, which accounts for a third of all household waste sent to landfill.

The new legislation will stop separately collected food waste being accepted at landfill sites from 1 April 2015.

It will also prevent businesses, like hotels and staff canteens, disposing of food waste down the drain and into the sewer network by 1 April 2017.

Food businesses will be required to keep food waste separate from other waste and make sure that waste contractors collect and transport the food waste separately.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said: "We all know it makes sense to cut down on food waste and how we dispose of it. It is important that we all play our part. By sending food waste to landfill we are wasting money, resources and an opportunity to support the green economy and reduce carbon emissions.

"Making the effort to separate out our food waste and disposing of it separately will encourage us all to produce less waste in the first place. This is good news for the environment, the economy and importantly our pockets.

"I have introduced legislation that will require all our councils to collect and transport our food waste separately by 1 April 2017. With this grant and the work already completed, Derry City Council is on course to meet the requirements and importantly moving towards our shared aspiration of a zero waste society."

(IT/JP)