The Environment Minister has congratulated Queens Elms on their European Waste Reduction Week award-winning initiatives which have significantly reduced the waste produced by the 1,800-strong student residents.

The Minister visited the south Belfast university residence along with Councillor Pat McCarthy, chairman of Belfast City Council`s Health and Environmental Services Committee.

Councillor McCarthy said: "I would commend the efforts of the Queens Elms residents in coming up with some really innovative ways to tackle waste reduction.

"Students were given the opportunity to appoint themselves 'green champio for the Halls at the start of the project and it`s great that so many engaged with the project. Everyone was also encouraged to grow their own veg, as well as organising `swap shops` to encourage waste reduction through reuse."

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Belfast City Council is the local co-ordinator for European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) and last year 85 organisations and businesses across the city signed up to the pledge to take action on waste. The Queens Elms project was one of those involved in the initiative.

Commenting on this award winning initiative Environment Minister, Alex Attwood said: "Visiting Queens Elms village is truly inspirational – they have combined both imaginative and practical measures with their everyday activities to significantly reduce their waste and adopt a more environmentally - conscious approach.

"My department's Rethink Waste campaign focuses on promoting behaviour change in our approach to waste in everyday life – it is impressive to see these supported and put to practice by Queens Elms village's vegetable garden, book/ recipe and clothes swap initiatives that I have seen here today.

"European Week for Waste Reduction will be running this year from 17th to 25th November. I would encourage everyone to take a look at their own routines at home, at work and in their local community, to see if there are any changes that could be made which could be registered as a Northern Ireland activity. Even the smallest measure can make a huge difference to reducing landfill."

(CD)