In 2013 Jim Keys, and other concerned citizens in Derry, discovered that an “energy from waste” incinerator had received full planning permission. It was to be located at Strathfoyle on the outskirts of the city, and would burn waste from the city and across the north-west.

Their initial research revealed that such facilities don’t address the global waste generation crisis, but rather create a market for waste. The real solution required a culture shift in production and consumption that stopped waste being created.

They set up Zero Waste North West (ZWNW) to educate the public about the dangers of incineration, stop the contracts being signed, and begin the work of engaging with local government on transitioning from a linear to a circular, zero waste economy.

Their campaigning slogan was, “No to Incineration, Yes to Zero Waste.” Jim regards the work as a local manifestation of a global movement, “The Great Turning”, to live within the limits of our ecosystem.

Once plans for incineration were dropped Jim co-ordinated the ZWNW team that raised finance and won the council buy-in for research on how the region might best transition to a Zero Waste Circular Economy.  The strategy, envisioned to be a model for other regions on these islands will save council £3 million per annum.  It was unanimously adopted by the council on 14th December 2017.