Waste is on the agenda today as Stormont Environment Minister, Edwin Poots, welcomed the publication of the provisional quarterly municipal waste management statistics for January - March 2010.

"It is important to understand how far Northern Ireland has come in recycling waste over recent years. For example, today's statistical press release stated very clearly that Northern Ireland was performing well above the required standard in only landfilling some 21% of its permitted allocation in terms of biodegradable municipal waste.

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"There is however always scope for improvement, and I have made it clear that I want to see more progress against the existing targets and more challenging targets in the future. With this in mind, in May I announced a £3.13 million Rethink Waste Fund to develop recycling infrastructure.

"This, along with a wider package of measures, including communications to engage with people on the importance of recycling, will continue the trend towards waste being seen as a valuable resource rather than as a problem to be buried in the ground," he said. (GK/KMcA)