The Deputy Mayor of Newry & Mourne District Council Councillor Charlie Casey said, “Over 230 million plastic bags are sent to landfill in Northern Ireland each year- that’s 316 bags per person! We are running this campaign to encourage residents to take a few minutes before they leave the house to remember to take their re-useable shopping bags and to say no when offered more bags in the shop.

The shopping bags have been distributed to local residents at locations across the region including Newry Market. Shoppers were also asked to take part in a “Bag Amnesty” whereby they could exchange their old plastic bags for a new eco-friendly re-usable bag. Council Officers were on hand to provide information on waste reduction and advice on maximising the use of the blue and brown recycling bins.

As part of the Southern Waste Management Partnership (SWaMP), Newry and Mourne District Council have teamed up with the other seven Member Councils to produce 8,000 limited edition re-usable shopping bags.The Council is also encouraging retailers to get involved in the Need a Bag? initiative by reminding staff to ask customers the simple question “do you really need a bag?” Guidelines for retailers and a Need a Bag? poster are available through the Council website

www.newryandmourne.gov.uk. Or if you would like any more information on this campaign you can contact Therese Hamill, Recycling Officer, Newry and Mourne District Council. Tel: 028 30313233 or email recycling@newryandmourne.gov.uk. 

The short-listed four are: Biffa Waste Services Ltd (with Natural World Products Ltd and Ros Roca Environmental SL), Greenstar Holdings (with BioGen Power Ltd, Strabag Umweltenlagen GMbH and Orchid Environmental Ltd), Northern Ireland Sustainable Solutions (Cyril Sweett Investments Ltd, Urbaser SA and John Sisk & Son Ltd) and Quinn Group Ltd (with Entsorga Italia SRL).

Graham Byrne, Chief Officer of SWaMP2008 welcomed the completion of this first stage of the process.  He said, “This is a strong start for SWaMP2008.  The procurement of such a significant project is a long and complex process and we are pleased to have hit our first major target.  We have four strong contenders and we are looking forward to working with them to develop competitive solutions which will meet the future waste management needs of this region.  It is vital that all councils in this area will have a sustainable, efficient and affordable solution in place by 2012.  With the appointment of this shortlist we can now begin the business of getting down to the detail of the project.”

The infrastructure facilities will manage the residual domestic waste which cannot currently be recycled, in an effort to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill sites.  Stringent landfill diversion targets have been set down by Central Government and the EU.  All over Europe local councils will face significant fines if they fail to reduce the levels of waste currently being sent to landfill.  Ultimately these fines would fall on ratepayers.

Graham Byrne continued, “While recycling rates are on the rise, it is essential to further develop the recycling culture and to find alternative ways to deal with the waste which cannot be re-used. This new infrastructure will add to the potential to sort and recycle other materials and to produce compost and even heat or electricity from waste.”

Confirming the shortlist, Chairman of the Joint Committee of SWaMP2008, Councillor Charles Rollston said, “Over the next twelve months, we will work with these four bidders to develop their detailed proposals for the delivery of this exciting and important project for the region.  The final selection and appointment of a contractor will be made at the end of 2010, with construction beginning in early 2011.”

 Notice of conclusion of audit

 In accordance with the Local Government (Accounts and Audit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006, notice is given that the audit of the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009 has been concluded by the local government auditor.  

 Any member of the public may –

(a)                inspect and make copies of the statements of accounts (or any part of it) prepared by the Council;

(b)               inspect and make copies of (or any part of it) any report made to the Council by the local government auditor;

(c)                require copies of any such statement or report (or any part thereof) to be delivered to him/her on payment of £10 for each copy.

 The above documents may be inspected at The Council Offices, The Palace Demesne, Armagh or at the SWaMP2008 offices, Omagh Enterprise Company Ltd, Great Northern Road, Omagh, between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Fridays.

 In addition the statement of accounts may be viewed by clicking the link below:

SWaMP2008 Accounts for 2008/2009

Please click on the link below to see the full advertisement.

Infrastructure development director job ad

Councillor Allan Rainey, Councillor John Campbell, Graham Byrne, Operational Director, Councillor Jack Patterson, Councillor Charles Rollston and Councillor Pearse McAleer pictured in Brussels

A delegation from SWaMP2008 has attended a conference in Brussels to hear the latest update on important European Waste Management legislation which is due to come into effect in Northern Ireland.

Waste is currently a high profile issue across Europe as every member state considers how to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and how to reduce the consumption of raw materials through increased recycling.

In Brussels, the delegation attended a reception at the Northern Ireland Executive Offices, at which they met with MEPs Jim Nicholson, Bairbre de Brun and Diane Dodds. The SWaMP2008 party also met with MLAs from the NI Assembly Committee for Agriculture & Rural Development (DARD) including Committee Chairman, Ian Paisley Jnr, Tom Elliott, UUP MLA for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, George Savage, UUP MLA for Upper Bann and William Irwin, DUP MLA for Newry & Armagh.

The European Waste Framework Directive heralds the start of a new era of waste management and focuses on major issues relating to limiting waste production, the prevention of waste by encouraging recycling, the recovery of reusable materials and the use of waste as a resource.

The timing of the Brussels visit is important for SWaMP2008 as the Waste Management Partnership is now embarking on the process of securing a contractor to develop waste management infrastructure for the south west region.

SWaMP2008 is developing facilities to support the current recycling programmes of each of its 8 member councils, by introducing technology which will mechanically sort and further recycle materials such as glass, paper, plastic and metal and then treat the residual waste to break it down to produce a compost material. The output from the plant could also be used to generate electricity and support a district heating scheme.

Attending the Brussels conference along with SWaMP2008 Operational Director Graham Byrne, were Chair of the Joint Committee, Councillor Charles Rollston, and Deputy Chair, Councillor Jack Patterson, along with Councillor Allan Rainey from Omagh, Councillor Pearse McAleer from Cookstown and Councillor John Campbell from Armagh.

Chair of SWaMP2008 Charles Rollston said, “It is exciting to be in Brussels just as we are making important decisions on the best possible waste management infrastructure for our region. This allows us to be up to speed with the latest developments and on target with our waste management solutions. The way we think about waste and the way we use, re-use and recycle materials is on the verge of major change as a result of this new European Directive. It is important for us to know what will be required of us and that we will be able to meet the current and future needs of the whole region.”

SWaMP2008 will work with a shortlist of bidders for the next twelve months to finalise bids for the construction of the region’s new waste infrastructure. One contractor will be appointed in December 2010, to complete construction in 2012.

Councillor Charles Rollston, Chair of the Joint Commitee of SWaMP2008

Welcoming the start of the procurement process, SWaMP2008 Joint Committee Chairman, Councillor Charles Rollston said, “SWaMP2008 is very pleased to have received six very high quality bids from consortia which combine the best in local knowledge with the experience of leading innovators in Europe.

Across Northern Ireland, the three regional waste management groups are now in the process of procuring the infrastructure necessary to sort, treat and reduce domestic waste.

Graham Byrne, Operational Director of SWaMP2008 explained that this new infrastructure will complement and encourage the recycling culture which is emerging in the South and West of the province. He said, “Whilst recycling rates have improved in recent years and SWaMP2008 has the highest recycling figures of all the regional waste management groups, there is still a real and pressing need to deal with the remaining waste. This new infrastructure will further add to the potential to sort and recycle other materials such as glass, metals, plastic and paper and to produce compost and even heat or electricity from waste.”

Although potential sites for the new infrastructure have been identified through a detailed site selection process, these will not be finalised until a series of consultations with the Planning Service and the short-listed bidders has been completed.

The shortlist of final bidders will be announced by SWaMP2008 at the end of October.

SWaMP2008 (The Southern Waste Management Partnership) is a partnership of eight district councils which are embarking on the project to develop new waste management facilities in the region. The competition was aimed at increasing schoolchildren’s knowledge of environmental and recycling issues and the impact that waste has on the environment. Essential new infrastructure is being commissioned to help the local communities in the southern region to maximise their recycling and to dramatically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. 

The St John the Baptist Primary School pupil beat off stiff competition from over 230 entries with her easily recognisable and original C.E.L.L. (Cleaner Environment Less Landfill) project name and her detailed description on how it will help encourage people to take responsibility for their waste.

For winning the competition Anna was presented with a £100 hamper of environmental toys and gifts including a moonjar, a shoulder bag made from recycled drinks cartons, drumstick pencils and atlas- covered recycled paper stationery. Her school will also receive a £300 voucher to be used on environmental projects within the school.  Anna was also the proud recipient of a unique winner’s trophy, handcrafted from recycled material including a paint tin, forks and a set of antique silver spoons!

Councillor Charles Rollston, Chair of the Joint Committee of SWaMP2008 said; “The quality of entries we received for the naming competition was tremendous. Local students developed a wide range of creative original ideas that made shortlisting the winners a very difficult decision.  The judging panel were really impressed with Anna’s suggestion of C.E.L.L. as it emphasised exactly what we are trying to achieve in building a brighter future from waste.  It is time for everyone in this region to take action now to minimise our impact on the environment.”

“The new Waste Management Project will have a positive impact to the SWaMP2008 region and we hope that, by providing local young people with the opportunity to become involved in it at the beginning, they will not only have a sense of ownership of the project, but also gain an understanding of the importance of managing our waste in a safe and sustainable manner.”

SWaMP2008 is a voluntary grouping of eight district Councils located within the southern region of Northern Ireland. The organisation was set-up to create a more sustainable and cost effective way for these Councils to collectively manage household waste.

In order to meet these objectives SWaMP2008 is currently embarking upon the Waste Management Infrastructure Project that will create a number of new waste management facilities in the region. Designed to work in conjunction with existing Council organised recycling and waste reduction initiatives, the project will help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

McClintock Children’s Centre  came top of the small schools category in the Northern Ireland finals of the Yellow Woods Challenge, the environmental campaign for schools run by Yellow Pages working in partnership with the Woodland Trust and local authorities.*

The pre-school’s 12 pupils recycled 320 old Yellow Pages directories when the new ones were delivered last year – equivalent to an inspiring 26.7 old directories per pupil.

Fourteen local authorities across Northern Ireland ran the Yellow Woods Challenge, involving a total of 240 schools and 41,467 pupils. The recycling scores from all the local heats were entered into the Northern Ireland finals where Fair Hill Primary School, Banbridge, triumphed in the medium schools category and Ballynahinch Primary School, Co Down, scooped the large schools prize.

For every pound awarded to schools in prize money, Yellow Pages has donated a matching pound to the Woodland Trust’s children’s tree planting campaign, ‘Tree For All’.

Belinda Moffitt Leader at the Centre said: “The pre-school children and parents along with siblings from the local primary school made a tremendous effort to collect the front covers this year.  We plan to spend the money on developing the children’s outdoor garden.”

Kimberley Watts-Fitzsimmons, corporate responsibility manager at Yell – the publisher of Yellow Pages directories, said: “It’s a great pleasure to reward the winning schools for their outstanding achievements. I’d also like to thank all the schools and councils in Northern Ireland who always take the competition to heart – together you’ve made a massive contribution towards the environment.”

The Yellow Woods Challenge is undergoing a major strategic review and will relaunch in summer 2010 – for more information, visit www.yellow-woods.co.uk.  For details of Yellow Pages recycling facilities, visit: www.yellgroup.com or call your local council.

Thursday, 25 June, 2009 – Today Banbridge District Council officially opened ‘restore’, a bring and buy reuse shop for second-hand household furniture and electrical goods at its community recycling centre on the Scarva Road in Banbridge.

‘restore’ is the first of its kind to be established and run by a council in Northern Ireland. This pioneering project, which aims to extend the life of many large items of reusable household furniture and thus divert these from landfill, is the latest major offensive by the leading local authority to winning the war on waste.

Council Vice-Chairman Jim McElroy, who officiated at the opening, said, “Every year, local householders dump many tonnes of perfectly reusable items of furniture without considering if they could be of use to someone else. By salvaging and restoring these at our 3,000 sq. ft. warehouse, we can save landfill space, reduce waste handling and disposal costs, offset the energy or raw materials needed to produce new products and create training opportunities for local people. We have a proven track record of leading by example particularly in the area of recycling. ‘restore’ will in many ways enable us to stay true to form by focusing on the reuse aspect of sustainable waste management.”

Council Director of Environmental Services, David Lindsay, added, “It has taken almost three years to bring this project to fruition. Considerable work has gone into the planning of ‘restore’ because we wanted to deliver a project that brings together all three strands of our sustainable development commitment – environmental, economic and social well-being. ‘restore’ will ensure that the life of household furniture is prolonged rather than prematurely discarded in landfill – thereby saving the planet’s supply of raw materials needed to produce new products.  Goods are often only ‘waste’ by virtue of the fact that the original owner has had them for a period of time and fancies a change.  But given a new owner and a new home, the goods effectively become new again. We hope local people will support us in delivering this really important service.”

‘restore’ will help reduce landfill costs on local ratepayers while at the same time make low cost household goods available to the public. ‘restore’ will fulfil a valuable social role by creating training opportunities for local people engaged in the project. This project has been delivered in partnership with a range of local training and education organisations, charities and voluntary groups. With their continued support, we hope to make this project a resounding success.”

‘restore’ will stock a wide range of household furniture and white goods, including beds and bedsteads, bikes, cookers, chests of drawers, dishwashers, garden furniture, mirrors, pictures, tables and chairs, three-piece suites, toys, tumble dryers, washing machines and wardrobes. Many of these items will be sourced via the bulky waste collection service or donated directly by the public. All profits from the sale of the refurbished, second-hand furniture will be ploughed back into ‘restore’.

(Pictured left to right are: Cllr Carol Black, Cllr Joan Baird vice chair of environmental services, David Lindsey director of environmental services, Cllr Nora Beare chair of environmental services, Barry Patience waste management officer, Cllr Patrick Mc Aleenan, Chairman Jim Mc Elroy, & Tom Mc Roberts restore training supervisor. Picture courtesy of Banbridge Chronicle)

As a result of securing £260,000 from the Department for Education and Learning under the Northern Ireland European Social Funds Programme 2007-2013, the Council has realised ‘restore’ at minimal cost to local ratepayers.  It is hoped that when the funded project ends in 2011, the Council will have developed a financially self sustaining service that forms an integral part of our ongoing sustainable waste management programme.

‘restore’ is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. If you are looking for a particular item of household furniture, you can contact our waste helpline on 4066 0604 and leave your details along with a description of the item you want. You will be notified when the item is in stock.

St Clare’s Convent, Newry; Killean Primary School; St Joseph’s Primary, Meigh; St Joseph’s Primary, Bessbrook and St Mary’s Primary Glasdrumman, Annalong all achieved the accolade after being assessed during May by representatives of Tidy NI who run the Eco-Schools programme in Northern Ireland.

Mayor Feehan speaking to the teachers and pupils attending the presentation ceremony said “This is a tremendous achievement. The Green Flag award is internationally recognised and only obtained by those schools who have reached the highest of environmental standards”.

“Well done to all the staff and pupils whose dedication has resulted in these awards. A special word of congratulations to the members of the Eco Committees present here today. You have taken the lead by making sure that your school cares about the environment and puts in place sound environmental practices.” he added.

Colin Latham, the Northern Ireland Eco-Schools Manager, was also fulsome in his praise of the winning schools. He stated “This is a wonderful achievement for all of the schools in Newry and Mourne. I was lucky enough to be at three of the assessments and, while every school is unique, the one constant in all of them is the enthusiasm of the pupils and their teachers throughout the process. All of these schools are an excellent example of what Eco-Schools is all about”.

The winning schools have now earned the right to display their Green Flag in their school.