Minister Hosts Waste Summit 22 June 2012
Attwood hosts first ever Waste Summit – new target for packaging
Environment Minister
Alex Attwood has hosted Northern Ireland’s first ever summit on waste
prevention and recycling.
The summit, attended
by almost one hundred key players, was an opportunity to challenge existing
thinking on waste and encourage new innovation for those involved in trying to
reduce and recycle the amount of waste we produce.
Significantly, the
Minister also announced higher targets for businesses to recycle packaging. The
new target will apply to producers involved in the packaging supply chain from
its manufacture through to end use.
At present business
must recycle 68% of their packaging. This target will increase to 72% through
new legislation being introduced in January 2013.
Alex Attwood said: “Much
good work is being done to reduce and recycle in Northern Ireland. But we can
stretch ourselves much further. This summit has provided, for the first time,
the opportunity to challenge existing thinking, pool innovative ideas and share
best practice. In turn a real prize here is creating more jobs for our economy.
It is significant that we have companies and organisations from all over
Northern Ireland here today”
Speaking specifically
about new targets for packaging announced at the summit Alex Attwood said:
“Following on from my
announcement earlier this week on higher re–cycling targets for Councils, I am
introducing these new packaging targets in recognition of public concern about
the amount of packaging associated with the products we buy. These new targets
will be challenging. However, they will
deliver real environmental and economic benefit, as well as ensuring we
continue to meet and exceed EU directive targets for packaging over the next
five years.
“It means more
aluminium re–cycled, more plastic recycled, more steel recycled and more glass
recycled. I have increased these targets as they have the biggest environmental
impact in terms of carbon saving. After all, I want Northern Ireland to be a
world leader in carbon reduction and this will be a tangible step towards
achieving this.”
