Belfast City Council has abandoned a three and a half year search for a private sector company to take over its waste disposal services. The tender process was begun in mid-1995, but it has emerged that none of the shortlisted companies have been able to convince the council that they could fulfil all the conditions attaching to the contract, mainly because of the lack of a suitable waste disposal site.

Although the council's current contract to dump refuse at the Dargan Road landfill site in the harbour area was due to run out in the year 2000, agreement has been reached with the Department of the Environment for dumping to continue after that date.

In a statement, the council said that the tender process had been intended to conclude with the award of a contract in July 1996, but had run into repeated delays.

"The decision to terminate the tender process," the statement said, "recognises the uncertainty over the timing and likely outcome of these planning decisions."