Construction & Demolition Waste Highlights from 2023
9 million tonnes generated
Construction and demolition waste increased in 2023 from 8.3 million tonnes in 2022.
81% soil and stones
The dominant type of construction and demolition waste in Ireland is soils and stones.
Achieved EU recovery target
Ireland surpassed the European recovery target of 70% by backfilling or recycling 73% of it's non-hazardous C&D waste, excluding soil and stones.
75% backfilling
Soil and stones make up most of the C&D waste generated, which is reflected in backfilling being the dominant treatment type.
Metal waste is nearly 100% recycled
Over 200,000 tonnes of metal was recovered from construction and demolition waste in 2023 and recycled into secondary raw materials.
5% export
The majority of Ireland's construction and demolition waste is treated here in Ireland (95%). Most of the remaining 5% is metal exported for recycling.
This page contains Ireland’s construction and demolition waste statistics from the year 2023 (released August 2025). A subset of this information was submitted to the EU for reporting requirements under Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and is subject to Eurostat validation.
Highlights ~ Generation ~ Treatment ~ By-products and End-of-Waste ~ More Information ~ Links
Generation
The C&D sector in Ireland generated1 an estimated 9 million tonnes of waste in 2023, up from 8.3 million tonnes in 2022.
Construction and Demolition waste generated has remained relatively stable since 2019, moving between approximately 8 and 9 million tonnes from year to year. Annual tonnage generated is related to factors such as the type of development (housing, commercial, infrastructure) each year, and the stage of construction of developments with significant excavation works. By-product (Regulation 27) and End of Waste (Art. 28) may also affect the total generation of construction and demolition waste in Ireland.
C&D waste is a mix of many different materials and the separation of these materials, either at C&D sites or at waste facilities, is the necessary first step for recycling or other recovery of this waste.
For more year-on-year data, see the Data Archive.
| C&D Waste Type | Tonnage | Portion of total |
|---|---|---|
| Soil, stones & dredging spoil | 7,346,781 | 81 % |
| Mixed C&D waste | 679,762 | 8 % |
| Concrete, brick, tile & gypsum | 613,054 | 7 % |
| Metal | 212,700 | 2 % |
| Bituminous mixtures | 121,412 | 1 % |
| Segregated wood, glass & plastic | 68,694 | 1 % |
| Total | 9,042,402 | 100 % |
Table 1. Composition of C&D waste collected in Ireland in 2023. Data download available below.
Treatment
Most final treatment of C&D waste in 2023 took place in Ireland (95%) and only 5% was exported abroad for final treatment. Most of the exports are metal waste sent for recycling. There are also significant tonnages of exported waste used for recycled aggregates.
Backfilling2 is the most significant treatment of C&D waste. The prominence of backfilling as a final treatment operation reflects the high tonnages of waste soil and stones in the C&D waste stream.
Metal C&D wastes are nearly 100% recycled and segregated wood, paper, glass and plastic have a recycling rate of 57%.
Disposal was mainly used for C&D waste treatment residues and a smaller share of mixed C&D waste and soil and stones. The amount of C&D waste recorded as disposal increased for 2023 data following advice from Eurostat, which led to the reclassification of treatment codes for some construction wastes accepted at landfills.
| Waste Type | Recycling (t) | Energy Recovery (t) | Backfilling (t) | Disposal (t) | Total (t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete, brick, tile and gypsum | 355,898 | 0 | 152,235 | 34,024 | 542,157 |
| Segregated wood, glass and plastic | 29,148 | 18,923 | 22,138 | 3,127 | 73,336 |
| Bituminous mixtures | 98,707 | 0 | 24,573 | 1,336 | 124,616 |
| Metal | 357,947 | 74 | 0 | 517 | 358,538 |
| Soil, stones and dredging spoil | 56,106 | 4 | 6,439,591 | 1,012,745 | 7,508,446 |
| Mixed construction and demolition waste | 40,371 | 14 | 16,710 | 11,045 | 68,141 |
| Mixed material from waste treatment | 6,038 | 184,719 | 0 | 0 | 190,757 |
| Total | 944,214 | 203,735 | 6,655,248 | 1,062,794 | 8,865,991 |
Table 2: Treatment of all Irish C&D waste in 2023 (including exports), broken down into material categories. Data download available below.
By-products and End-of-Waste
The EPA’s National By-product criteria provide rules for the safe reuse of greenfield soil and stones and prevents it becoming a waste. In 2023, 292 by-product notifications were assessed by the EPA and 2,731,700 tonnes of soil and stones were determined as by-products.
The EPA’s National End-of-Waste criteria for recycled aggregates can support the recycling of construction and demolition waste. This in turn diverts waste from landfill disposal, keeping it in the economy as a resource, which can reduce the environmental impacts arising from waste management.
Preventing waste and promoting reuse are integral to the circular economy. While this applies to all economic sectors, it is particularly relevant for the construction sector which handles large volumes of natural resources, such as soil and stones. Successful implementation of circular economy measures, such as the by-product regulation and end-of-waste criteria in this sector could lead to millions of tonnes of resources beneficially reused or diverted from the waste management system every year.
More Information
Construction and demolition (C&D) waste includes all the waste produced by the construction and demolition of buildings and road infrastructure. It contains a wide variety of materials such as: metal waste, segregated wood, glass & plastic, brick, tile & gypsum, bituminous mixtures, mixed C&D waste, soil, stones & dredging spoil, and C&D waste treatment residues .
C&D waste has consistently been the largest waste stream in Ireland in terms of both volume and weight and accounts for more than a third of all waste generated in the EU.
Recycling rates for C&D waste can be improved by enhanced segregation of C&D waste into individual material streams, either at source or at waste processing facilities. For more information on C&D waste prevention and best practice circular construction activities, see EPA’s Best Practice Guidelines for the Preparation of Resource & Waste Management Plans for Construction & Demolition Projects.
Click here to find out more about how the EPA compiles and reports Official European Waste Statistics.
Footnotes
- EPA estimates of C&D waste generated and treated are based on different datasets. Waste collectors record waste as it enters the waste treatment network, whereas the final treatment data indicate what happens to waste at the end of its journey through the waste treatment network. This can lead to differences in waste classifications and quantities. Notwithstanding this, following EPA data validation, there was a 2.0% difference overall between the tonnages of C&D waste collected and finally treated in 2023, providing a high level of confidence in the C&D waste statistics for 2023.
- It refers to a recovery operation carried out at authorised facilities, where suitable waste is used for land improvement, for reclamation purposes in excavated areas, or for engineering purposes in landscaping. Soil recovery facilities are typically worked out quarries in the process of being restored or sites where soil and stones are imported to raise natural ground levels.
- Regulation 27 (by-product) of the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations, 2011-2020 allows an economic operator to decide, under certain circumstances, that a material is a by-product and not a waste. It allows construction and demolition materials to be used elsewhere on development projects as a by-product and not discarded as a waste. Decisions made by economic operators under Regulation 27 must be notified to the EPA. The EPA may determine to agree with the economic operator’s by-product decision, where conditions of Regulation 27 are demonstrated to be fulfilled; alternatively, otherwise, the EPA may determine that the notified material is waste.
Data Download
2023 Construction and Demolition Waste Data for Ireland 12 (KB)
Download an excel file containing this year's construction and demolition waste data.