Recycle Week 2012

To mark Recycle Week we hosted a series of games and spectacles in the grounds of City Hall.

The `Waste Games` saw members of the public compete in cycling, bowling and sailing challenges, all to raise awareness about waste and recycling during UK Waste Week.

Among the exhibits on show was a Titanic sculpture made from scrap metal taken from Belfast's recycling centres and a textile art mosaic made from waste fabric.

Councillor Pat McCarthy, chairman of the council`s Health and Environmental Services Committee, said: “We`re always trying to think of new ways of getting the reduce, reuse, recycle message across so we thought our own `Waste Games` would be a fun way of getting people involved while raising awareness about the need for us all to reduce the amount of waste we produce, and the amount we send to landfill.

“Belfast`s recycling rate is currently 32% but we need to keep that momentum going if we`re to achieve the tough European targets on landfill. Food waste is still one of the areas we can all improve on. On average, a household throws out around a third of the food it buys each year – about £680 worth – so huge savings are to be made; not just in our wallets, but also in terms of waste reduction.

“And of course with the introduction of our `cleaner, fresher, greener` kitchen caddies, households can recycle whatever food waste they do have – diverting it away from landfill and therefore helping to boost the recycling rate.”

Check out some of the images from the event below!