Belfast City Council has urged members of the public, and the local business community, to express their views on a proposal to transfer land to arc21 to site a new waste treatment facility on the North Foreshore.

Arc21 is a local government body, constituted in legislation to encourage households and businesses to reduce, recycle and re-use as much as possible.

The council agreed to launch a public consultation exercise at a special meeting last week, and will be writing, in the New Year, to all households and businesses in the council area to ascertain their opinions.

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It has already been identified that a number of treatment facilities are required to allow Belfast and the ten other arc21 councils to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites and to help meet European Union targets from 2012.

The location of the facilities has yet to be decided.

A spokesman for Belfast City Council said: "Despite our increasing success in recycling - 27% of current waste in Belfast is recycled - recycling alone will not enable us to meet the landfill targets in 2012 which could result in heavy fines being imposed on the council."

As part of the public consultation, the questionnaire to all ratepayers will be supported by road shows and focus groups which will be held across the city, the spokesman confirmed.

(PR/JM)