There is a very good chance it will pass through Brikkiln's new Enviroparc where it will be recycled or be processed and made safe for disposal at landfill sites.

The 'Journal' was given a tour Brikkiln's impressive new facility by strategic director Tony Stuart.

Civil engineering giant Brikkiln specialises in waste management, demolition, plant hire and asbestos disposal at its Heather Road and Creevagh sites in the city.

The company's 32-acre Enviroparc on Maydown's Electra Road, which opened in April 2007, is impressive in its sheer size and scale but what is more impressive is what goes on inside the facility's two 40,000 square feet treatment units.

At present the facility has two large 40,000 square feet warehouse-like structures which deal in the mechanical and chemical separation of waste.

One deals with domestic household waste from Derry City Council and the other manages "dry" recyclable waste.

Future plans for the site include a 100,000 square feet composting and biological treatment facility and an end of life vehicle facility.

The company also has ambitious plans to generate electricity, through RDF technology, from the waste it processes and sell it to the national grid.

Tony explains that the waste management business is evolving fast.

"Waste management has moved into the 21st century, he said.

"It is no longer the rag and bone industry it was.

"There are no units in the north of Ireland as advanced as Brikkiln's Enviroparc. Very few have invested as much as Brickkiln has in new waste management technology.

"The industry is being driven by an EU directive which is aimed at redirecting waste from landfill sites.

"Companies failing to accept these changes face being heavily fined."

But as the strategic director explains, the move away from landfill dumping could prove lucrative for some organisations.

"If waste is valuable and we receive it in an uncontaminated way then we will pay for what we receive.

"Good quality clear plastics, papers and cardboard are all high value waste.

"For this to happen organisations have to invest in segregation. Sadly in some cases the value of some recyclables is not enough to warrant the expense of segregation.

"Our ideal scenario would be to take high value waste off clients' hands for free and pay them for it."

Tony says Brikkiln's enviroparc is in a strong position to take advantage of a market which is on the rise.

"Organisations are realising that they can make money from their waste, he said.

"It is a growing market and over the next two years there will be a demand that will realise the potential of this site.

"We are currently licensed to receive 150,000 tonnes of waste per year.