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IRELAND IS SENDING fewer black bags full of rubbish to landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
An increasing share of residual waste, black bin waste, is being used as an energy source/fuel and less is being sent to landfill. This is linked to the increase in the landfill levy and the availability of more waste-to-energy outlets, including abroad, said the EPA.
Black bags
While less black bin bags filling up landfills is welcome, the EPA finds that in terms of household waste, there was a slight increase in the quantity of household waste collected in 2013.
The trend in household waste managed per person in the State has, however, remained relatively stable since 2011.
There was a slight increase in municipal waste, from both households and commercial premises, treated at composting facilities in 2013.
Food waste
This includes an 8% increase in brown bin waste, which is mainly food waste, that is accepted at composting and anaerobic digestion facilities.
Dr Jonathan Derham, EPA Programme Manager, said the figures indicate a number of positive developments.
“An increasing reliance on the export of such waste is unsustainable. This represents a lost opportunity in terms of potential energy recovery and jobs for the State. This needs to be countered with national waste infrastructure to bring forward opportunities for the re-use of value-added material and create a circular economy”.
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It should be a priority for businesses that manufacture goods to reduce packaging. There is far too much on some goods which might have 2 or 3 different pieces of specific packaging or maybe more depending on the size of the goods. Maybe businesses should develop a generic type of package which is easily recycled instead of the various different types that are currently used.
Couldn’t agree more. Why does everything need a ridiculous amount of plastic packaging?
Easter eggs! A small egg-shaped piece of chocolate wrapped up in 10,000 miles of tinfoil, cardboard and plastic!
We also need more education for the ignorant on what goes in what bin.
I can pop open a black bin in our bin bay and see it packed with cardboard and plastic bottles…how stupid are these people?
yea? i’ve popped open my green one a few times in the past to find dirty nappies! seriously thick s**** living in the apartments. As for glass bottles, jars? Forget the bottle banks, thats too far of a walk – into the bins, either of them will do as long as nobody sees. Also, that green bin is half a metre closer than the black, nappy disposal laziness to blame there too.
Why are they exporting this and not using it here to fuel energy? they’d sell their own mother. nothing surprises me.
Didn’t I read somewhere that Rehab are selling our recyclable waste to China to buy flat-pack coffins
The pay by weight system is crippling some of us in charges though. I can’t help having heavy waste bins .incontinence wear is not recyclable and my son is in them full time. I recycle as much as possible and always seperate out organic waste but I can’t cut down on my waste bin and it has to go every lift too .
I wish they would collect my green bin every week , not every 2nd week and as for the black bin , they can take that away , haven’t put it out in about 6 months
Where we live the waste company have just announced that they will be discontinuing bag collections from January and have told everyone to get a wheelie bin. Does this mean that users will in future be charged annually for waste collection rather than buying bags on a regular basis.
Bin charges mean people burn rubbish.So before people believe something great is happening for the environment think again.We live wondering what all the burning plastics etc are doing to the health of our children.There has been a huge increase in the sale of stoves which will burn anything as a fella in a shop told me to encourage me to buy one.This is in Dublin South so I can’t believe it’s any better on the north side.Bin charges have been a Tragedy for the environment.
There is no excuse for burning plastics when there are ‘free’ bring bank facilities in every town.
This article misses the point that in the last 5 years there has been a huge fall in waste generation and a huge increase in recycling and composting – leaving much less residual waste.
A small proportion is now incinerated in Ireland and a small amount exported for incineration.
The new incinerator in Poolbeg will be so oversized that it will be large enough to burn every shred of residual waste in the country. No more recycling or waste reduction can be done without a financial penalty to the taxpayer. The state has given the incinerator company a 45 yr contract.
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