An Armagh councillor has proposed that ABC Council build facilities to generate energy from waste. Alderman Paul Berry made the call during the ABC Environmental Services committee meeting on March 3. He seeks to limit exports of non-recyclable waste to sites in Dublin and Warrenpoint.

Berry wants the council to include this idea in its response to DAERA's consultation on the draft Rethinking Our Resources strategy. The strategy sets a 70 per cent recycling target by 2030 and a 10 per cent cap on landfill use by 2035 for waste from households, commercial and industrial sources.

The council's draft response notes concerns over waste infrastructure capacity. Northern Ireland exported 1,188,627 tonnes of waste in 2021/22. It states that banning exports by 2030, as suggested by the Climate Change Committee, appears unfeasible due to the scale of required projects.

Berry highlighted information from ABC Waste Business & Outreach manager Noeleen O’Malley on energy-from-waste operations elsewhere. He stressed the need to address landfill issues through such facilities in Northern Ireland.

Lisa Doherty, head of the Environmental Services Department, agreed there is a need for waste infrastructure in Northern Ireland. She confirmed the council will add Berry's comments to its consultation response.