New recycling centre opens in Pennyburn

The new-look Recycling Centre marks a significant investment in waste management by the Council of £1.5m including £250,000 from Rethink Waste.

The facility has undergone a total transformation following a temporary closure to allow for the major refurbishment works.

A visit to the new-look centre is now a more enhanced experience for visitors with more space, better accessibility and the facility’s capacity for recyclable material has increased fourfold.

The Mayor Colr. Elisha McCallion said she was very impressed with the new facility and the services available saying it makes recycling more accessible and convenient for the public.

“This is a fantastic facility that offers ratepayers an enhanced public facility with a wide range of recycling services. This is a significant investment in waste management by the Council and is one of our key capital investment projects reaffirming our commitment to the environment and recycling.

“The new facility not only boasts enhanced and improved recycling services but is more accessible, safer and more user friendly for the public, and is key in our ongoing commitment to improve recycling across the Council area. This facility meets the very highest standards for the public and makes recycling much easier and appealing.

“For many years the people of Derry and Strabane have contributed to the recycling efforts to reduce landfill, protect the environment, save energy and conserve resources, and this new facility will further encourage them to contribute to our campaign to renew, reduce and recycle.”

Conor Canning, Head of Environment with D.C.S.D.C., said the new recycling centre is part of an ongoing commitment to improving waste management and recycling systems across the Council. He said a key element of the plans moving forward is to reduce the amount of black bag waste that is brought onto the site and then to landfill.

“We are confident that the facilities at Pennyburn will encourage the public to sort their waste and to use recycle as much material as possible. By visiting the Pennyburn Recycling Centre the public can dispose of larger household items including gardening waste, kitchen units, fridges and freezers and many more bulky items. We are actively promoting our recycling facilities through a series of campaigns to promote the benefits of recycling in terms of energy efficiency, protecting the environment, and reducing costs and pollution,” he added.

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Michelle McIlveen explained the significance of the new recycling facilities at Pennyburn to the environment and the economy:

“Increasing the quality and quantity of recycling is a win-win for the environment and the economy. The environment benefits greatly from the use of recycling facilities such as the refurbished Pennyburn Household Waste Centre by keeping our natural resources in use for as long as possible.

“The new recycling facilities, which have been developed with the help of £250,000 of funding from the Department’s Rethink Waste Fund, allow the public to recycle more waste streams, producing higher quality segregated materials for use by businesses. This recycling unlocks the value of waste to support the local economy, provide employment and reduce the council costs for waste management instead of the traditional approach of ‘make, use and dispose’ and the significant landfill bill that comes with it.”

Opening hours are as follows Monday to Friday from 8a.m. to 8p.m.; Saturday from 8a.m. to 6p.m. and Sunday from 1p.m. to 5p.m.

For more information on waste management and recycling centres in the Council area visit - www.derrystrabane.com/service/wasterecycling/householdcentres