Recycle

Ipsos MORI Research in 2007 found that 92% of people in Northern Ireland state that recycling is important to them and six in ten claim to recycle even if it requires additional effort. By far the main motivation for recycling is a belief that recycling is good for the environment. In terms of motivation, almost six in ten of those who recycle do so because it is good for the environment and saves resources.

Recycling behaviour is on the increase with over half of those interviewed claiming that they recycle more than last year. This is mainly due to improvements in knowledge of what can be recycled (41%) plus an improvement in local facilities (38%). Local community groups can play a big part in improving our recycling habits.

Waste is a valuable resource that can offer enormous opportunities for regeneration in communities as well as helping build the social economy through providing jobs and training for the long-term unemployed and people with special needs. These successful community level social projects form the Third Sector of sustainable waste management.

There are a number of active community based recycling schemes in Northern Ireland. The biggest is Bryson House, an excellent example of a community project that is helping to tackle our waste problems while at the same time building community capacity and support services. It is a social enterprise company, which means the environmental and social outcomes of its business are as important as its financial performance.