The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Elisha McCallion has officially opened a state of the art recycling centre at Pennyburn in Derry.
The new-look facility 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.
Speaking at the official opening, Cllr McCallion said she was “very impressed” with the new facility and the services available adding it made recycling more accessible and convenient for the public.
She added: “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.”
Conor Canning, Head of Environment with Derry City and Strabane District Council, said the new recycling centre was part of an ongoing commitment to improving waste management and recycling systems across the Council area.
He said a key element of the plans moving forward was s to reduce the amount of black bag waste that is brought onto the site and then to landfill.
He added: “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.
Opening hours at the centre are: Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8pm; Saturday from 8.00am to 6.00pm and Sunday from 1.00pm to 5.00pm.
Photo shows Chapel Road Primary School pupils (from left) Abigail Wright, Hannah Craig and Emily Clifford, at the official opening of the new recycling centre
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