18,196 tonnes of Derry waste collected; energy recovery among highest, landfill among lowest

This was made up of 16,012 tonnes of household waste and 2,184 tonnes of non-household waste over the months October to December 2022.

The household recycling rate in Derry and Strabane District Council was 45 per cent with 7,207 tonnes sent for reuse, dry recycling or composting.

A large increase in the waste energy recovery rate was recorded in the Derry City and Strabane district compared to the same quarter in 2021.

A total of 7,133 tonnes (39.2 per cent) ended up being used for waste energy recovery. This was up from just over 20 per cent in the last quarter of 2021.

Derry and Strabane had the third highest waste energy recovery rate after Newry, Mourne & Down (48.5 per cent) and Mid Ulster (42.6 per cent).

The local council area also had one of the lowest landfill rates in the North with 1,896 tonnes (10.4 per cent of all waste) landfilled.

This equated to a 15.4 per cent decrease from 25.8 per cent in October-December 2022.

However, a large proportion of biodegradable waste was sent to landfill locally.

“In Derry City & Strabane, 69.6 per cent (1,320 tonnes) of all waste sent to landfill was biodegradable, whilst in Causeway Coast & Glens, 44.0 per cent of all waste sent to landfill was biodegradable,” the report states.