Fermanagh and Omagh is “Stepping It Up” this Recycle Week in the fight against climate change

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is asking residents to ‘Step It Up’ in the fight against climate change and take action to protect our environment through even better recycling habits as part of Recycle Week which runs this year from 20-26 September.

Speaking about Recycling Week, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thompson, said;

“As a society, we are becoming increasingly aware of how our actions can impact on the environment. Recycling is now a major part of reducing that impact. Living with the global pandemic over the past 18 months, we recognise that more people are spending more time at home and consequently household rubbish has increased.

While latest research indicates that more than 90% now recycle, more than half the number of households are still putting recyclable items in the general rubbish bins which go to landfill. This is where we can all “Step it Up”. By focussing on how by recycling even better, we can have a bigger impact on our environment,  understanding that what and how we recycle really matters. Recycling an item rather than throwing it in the general rubbish bin means that it will be dealt with in the most environmentally-friendly way and help fight climate change.”

Fermanagh and Omagh is proud to be an area of recyclers that care for the environment – but there are some simple things that we can all do to make our recycling even better.

Recycling properly can have a hugely positive impact on the effects of climate change. Currently, recycling saves 18 million tonnes of CO2 every year, which is the same as taking 12 million cars off the road.

To recycle effectively, please see below, some top tips from our Recycling Education team:

• All recyclable material including paper, cardboard, mixed plastics, tins, cans, tetra pak and glass MUST be placed in your blue recycling bin.
• Glass MUST be placed in the blue bin or can be brought to your local bottle bank.
• Remember your bathroom is full of recyclable material including shampoo, conditioner and soap bottles, cleaning and bleach bottles, toilet roll and toothpaste tubes which MUST be recycled in your blue bin
• Remember C, D, E and F – all items MUST be “Clean, Dry, Empty and Flat” This material is then transported to the reprocessor were it is recycled into new products.
• Food waste MUST be disposed of in your brown bin or food waste caddy were it is transported to the compost processing facility or used to produce electricity
• The following items are currently NOT recyclable and MUST be placed in your black or green landfill bin: Plastic bags and film, nappies, polystyrene, food wrappers (soft plastic packaging e.g. crisp and biscuit wrappers) and bubble wrap

If you’re at all unsure about how to recycle a specific item, remember to download the Councils “Binovation app”, check the Recycle Now’s Recycling Locator or contact the Council’s Waste and Recycling team on 0300 303 1777.

For further information on recycling, please visit Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s website at www.fermanaghomagh.com.

-End-