Ireland needs to recycle an additional 400,000 tonnes of waste every year to achieve its legally binding recycling targets, according to a new report by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Official figures show just 42% of Ireland's municipal waste is recycled.
This is significantly below the 55% cent recycling target.
The report says packaging waste generation in Ireland has increased almost four times faster than recycling between 2016 and 2023.
It also says the plastic packaging recycling rate in 2023 was just 30%, significantly below the required target for 2025 of 50%.
Meanwhile waste from the construction sector, Ireland’s largest waste stream, reached nine million tonnes in 2023.
While 1.3 million tonnes of municipal waste were recycled, this represents no improvement in recycling rates over the past decade.
The EPA says investment in waste infrastructure is needed to reduce our reliance on overseas facilities, with 1.2 million tonnes of municipal waste exported in 2023.
It highlighted how opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle valuable materials and resources are also being missed.
In a statement the EPA said packaging waste is excessive, and the rate of waste generation is increasing faster than Ireland’s capacity to recycle.
The report says it is now almost certain that mandatory recycling targets that apply from 2025 will be missed.
David Flynn, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, EPA said: "Ireland’s waste generation is too high. Our report highlights that Ireland needs to make measurable progress on stalled recycling rates and reduce overall consumption. We need investment in recycling infrastructure and to stop exporting a significant amount of our municipal waste to other countries."
Construction is the most wasteful sector with nine million tonnes of construction waste generated in 2023.
Meanwhile, Minister for State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the Circular Economy Alan Dillion has launched a public consultation on Ireland’s Second Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy.
The consultation will be open for six weeks, ending on 5 November.
The aim is to raise Ireland’s circular material use rate by at least 2 percentage points each year.
The Minister said Ireland is at a turning point: "The circular economy is not just an environmental ambition; it is an economic and social opportunity. By rethinking how we design, use, and reuse materials, we can cut waste, protect resources, and create new jobs and businesses.
"Our economic growth has brought new demands, from housing and infrastructure to food and manufactured goods. To meet our EU targets, Ireland must significantly increase the amount of waste we recycle each year. That is why we have introduced major reforms such as the Deposit Return Scheme, expanded brown bin access, and new measures to make packaging easier to recycle. These changes are already making a difference, and this strategy will build on that momentum."
Key findings from the EPA Municipal Waste 2023 Report
- Ireland generated 3.13 million tonnes of municipal waste in 2023, relatively unchanged compared to the 3.19 million tonnes generated in 2022.
- Between 2016 and 2023, municipal waste increased from 2.7 million tonnes to 3.13 million tonnes.
- Some 1.3 million tonnes of municipal waste generated in Ireland was recycled in 2023, resulting in a recycling rate of 42%. This indicates that we face significant challenges to meet the upcoming EU recycling targets for 2025 to 2035.
- Of the municipal waste recycled in 2023, over 814,000 tonnes went for material recycling (approximately the same as 2022) and over 480,000 tonnes were treated by composting/anaerobic digestion (approximately the same as 2022 but up 37% on 2020).
- Around 1.3 million tonnes of Ireland’s municipal waste went for incineration with energy recovery in 2023. This tonnage is 43% of municipal waste managed.
- Ireland’s landfill rate for municipal waste managed was 14% in 2023. This is a 1% decrease from 2022’s rate of 15%.
- There has been a steep decline in Ireland’s landfill rate for municipal waste from over 80% in 2001. Ireland must reduce the share of municipal waste landfilled to 10% or less by 2035, which includes waste landfilled at each step along the waste treatment process in Ireland and abroad.
- An estimated 42% (1.2 million tonnes) of all municipal waste managed was exported abroad in 2023, an increase from the 39% in 2022. Of the waste exported, most went for recycling (51%) or energy recovery (38%) while 11% went for composting or anaerobic digestion.
