Belfast City Council will host the SulfalNet4EU Conference on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 June which will bring around 70 delegates from ten European member states to the city.
Hosted by the Lord Mayor, the conference will be chaired by local economist and journalist, John Simpson, and will focus on the theme of attracting public and private finance for landfill regeneration.
SulfalNet4EU (Sustainable Use of Former and Abandoned Landfill for You) is an Interreg IVC funded project designed to facilitate the sharing of a best practice approach to landfill regeneration. The project is led by the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands and Belfast City Council has been a partner since its inception in 2005.
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The North Foreshore's Giant Park comprises some 340 acres and is the largest landfill regeneration project in Europe.
Belfast City Council's plans for the site include the provision of a world class public park with leisure and recreation facilities to service the whole of the city and beyond as well as an innovative Environmental Resource Recovery Park.
The council has already made significant progress towards developing the site. The land was capped and methane gas from decomposing waste at the former landfill site is now collected and used to generate 'green' electricity at a new electricity generation facility, unveiled two years ago.
A new Waste Transfer Station at the site also manages the city's black bin waste and plans for a green bin organic waste composting facility are progressing.
The SulfalNet4EU conference will provide an opportunity for the council to showcase its regeneration proposals to the rest of Europe as well as its experience and expertise in landfill regeneration.
(GK/BMcC)
