Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 April 2021
35. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the current recycling rates achieved in Ireland on compostable materials and on each of the main categories for which waste recycling targets have been set for 2030; the respective levels that prevailed five years ago; and the target to be achieved in 2030. [17876/21]
View answer36. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the composition of all waste generated in Ireland across all sectors, not just in the municipal waste stream; and the way the weight of each category has evolved compared with five and ten years ago, respectively. [17877/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 36 together.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the competent authority for the collation of national waste data and reports annually on Ireland’s performance against the targets set out in EU and national legislation.
The EPA’s latest national waste statistics summary report for 2018 (available at http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/waste/stats/wastereport2020/#d.en.69209) includes key trends for 2018, and progress to targets. The report shows that the quantity of Irish waste treated by composting and anaerobic digestion rose to 436,000 tonnes in 2018, an increase of 15% on the previous year. Of this amount, 56% consisted of municipal waste, while other sources included wastes from agriculture, horticulture, forestry and food preparation and processing, and waste from waste management facilities and water/waste water treatment sludges. Information on volumes of waste accepted for composting or anaerobic digestion, on an annual basis going back to 2005, is available at http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics/composting/
The EPA also provides information on Ireland’s progress in meeting targets under EU waste legislation including the Waste Framework Directive, the Landfill Directive and the Producer Responsibility Directives (Packaging and Packaging Waste, End-of-Life Vehicles, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Batteries and Accumulators), and provides information at http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics/targets/. Further information on individual waste streams, historical data, and the latest available data for Ireland is available at http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics/.
