The National Waste Interim Report 2003

Executive Summary

The Environmental Protection Agency has compiled information on waste generation and management for the calendar year 2003. Local authorities, recycling organisations and landfill operators were surveyed and the findings from these surveys are presented in this Interim Report.

For the most part, the trends highlighted in this Interim Report are positive and continue to move in the right direction. The following are the principal conclusions drawn in relation to municipal waste management and waste exports in 2003:

• the generation of municipal waste increased by 10%, a disappointing trend given the strong progress in recycling and reduced landfill;
• the recycling of household and commercial waste increased by 46%, illustrating some of the positive impacts of the implementation of Government policy; 
• the majority of this recycling took place abroad with the export of 69% of recyclable waste;
• there has been a remarkable increase in the recycling of packaging waste and the headline recycling rate now stands at 42%;
• the landfill of municipal waste decreased by 4%, a significant finding following a 5% reduction in 2002;
•  and the export of hazardous waste increased by 56% and illustrates Ireland’s continued dependence on treatment facilities across the EU.

There is evidence of very good progress towards the achievement of two key waste management targets with progress in relation to a third being less positive:

• Packaging waste recovery increased from 33% in 2002 to 42% in 2003, indicating that we will very likely achieve the target of 50% recovery in 2005;
• Municipal waste recycling increased from 21% in 2002 to 28% in 2003, closing the gap to the national target of 35% recovery by 2013;
• Household waste recycling increased from 9% in 2002 to 13% in 2003, leaving a relatively large gap towards the achievement of the national target of 50% diversion of household waste from landfill by 2013.