Biodegradable Municipal Waste Highlights for 2024
This page contains EPA waste data for Ireland’s Biodegradable Municipal Waste disposed to landfill in 2024 (released 10 July 2026) These data are submitted to Eurostat by DECC annually in June for reporting requirements under The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) and are subject to further validation.
Disposal
- In 2024, 114,000 tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste were disposed of at landfills. This represented 25% of all municipal waste sent to landfill.
- The current rate of BMW landfill disposal remains below Ireland’s current limit of 427,000 tonnes, based on a 1995 baseline of 1.3 million tonnes.
More Information
- The Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) requires the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. BMW includes materials that biodegrade, such as food waste, garden waste, paper, and cardboard. Diverting BMW reduces odour, greenhouse gas emissions, and long-term landfill management impacts.
- The reduction in BMW landfill disposal has been supported by increased treatment of biowaste through composting and anaerobic digestion. This has grown since the introduction of the Food Waste Regulations and the rollout of brown bins to households and commercial premises.
- Under the revised Waste Framework Directive ((EU) 2018/851), the separate collection of biowaste has been mandatory since the end of 2023. This is expected to further reduce BMW landfill disposal from 2024 onwards.