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THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Agency (EPA) has warned that urgent action is needed to reverse a rise in waste generation, and significantly improve recycling rates.
Recycling rates for packaging and ordinary household or municipal waste declined, while rubbish production went up in 2019.
Plastic packaging rates of recycling are “worryingly low” at 28%, with a continuing trend towards energy recovery (incineration.)
Municipal waste recycling fell by 4% between 2016 and 2019, it currently stands at 37%.
The recycling rate for packaging dropped from 70% in 2013 to 62% in 2019.
Its National Waste Statistics Summary Report for 2019 has found that waste generation increased substantially that year.
A significant portion of Ireland’s waste was exported for treatment, that includes 40% of municipal waste and 65% of hazardous waste.
Just 16% of packaging waste was recycled, that was mostly glass and wood.
One fifth of the Republic’s waste that was treated with composting or anaerobic digestion was taken to Northern Ireland.
Anaerobic digestion is a process that uses bacteria to break down organic matter in an environment with no oxygen present, like animal dung, leftover food and wastewater.
Falling rates
There’s “significant cause for concern” from these figures according to the EPA Senior Scientist Tara Higgins.
But she’s hopeful that changes made since 2019 may turn this around.
“Recent moves to allow soft plastics such as films and wraps into our recycling bins, continued expansion of brown bin services to households, new requirements for all packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2030 and a levy on waste recovery are among the suite of measures needed to increase recycling and close the gap to new EU recycling targets.”
Ireland met all current EU recycling and recovery targets in 2019, and is on track to do so again in 2020.
However the EPA warns “significant improvements” will be needed in the near future to continue hitting those marks.
It says striking the goal of 50% plastic recycled by 2025 and 55% by 2030 will be “very challenging.”
Circular economy
The EPA has also called for existing businesses to be “transformed” to fit a so-called “circular economy.”
That is a system that’s based on re-using materials rather than sending them to landfill.
The report specifically mentions construction, food processing and manufacturing as examples of sectors that need “systemic change.”
Sharon Finegan, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, says “our rising levels of waste are unsustainable and need to stop.”
However, she says the changes compared to a decade previous (2009) are clear to see, but that pace needs to be kept.
“Ireland’s recycling rates for municipal and packaging waste have been in gradual decline for a number years, as efforts to improve recycling have been outstripped by the growth in waste being generated and the amount being sent for energy recovery.”
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Have people no pride in this beautiful country?
@Bridget O’Hanlon: I’m near the curragh and walk the dog there every day. There is a new pike of somebody’s rubbish every single day. Sad really
@Bah Humbug Soon: , truly beautiful area.
@Bridget O’Hanlon: Nope, no pride, how most here call Ireland a kip. Yet only experience they have abroad is laying on a beach in Spain. We should have a lot more respect for our country but there is a element of ME ME ME mentality. Hopefully the people doing this get caught in the future!
@Bridget O’Hanlon: some people no heart dump illegal some area around Ireland need keep clean environment
@Jayo Breathneach: I’ll admit my car can be a mess. Young kids – mucky football boots etc are you saying I’m a ‘suspect’. This is an unfair comment !!
Its a disgrace dumpimg like this. If caught they should be forced to clean it and given fines and whatever truck/trailer that was used should be confiscated. Serial offenders should be locked up. You can be guaranteed even if they catch these serial offenders they will get a fine, probably not pay it or claim they can’t afford it. Then back at it next day. People are not afraid of repercussions as there basically are none from our useless justice system which allows people with 95 convictions back on the street.
@Mark H: ok….Boss
@SF Ankle Tapper: they are most certainly the only sector of society.
@Brendan Cooney: not the only sector!!!
@Mark H: get them out sweeping the streets and let everyone know what they did
If they can afford to transport and dump old mattresses, furniture & toys they can afford our rubbish disposal system in Ireland. Name and shame would stop a lot of them
plenty of adverts for ‘man with a van ‘ on the like of done deal and adverts .ie -local papers etc etc.. plenty of them dumping rubbish instead of taking it to the tip — i have reported the same van to our local council 5 times in the last year for illegal dumping of household waste – same spot every time – they have had envelopes etc with the name and address of the guy on them -no action has been taken against him – one of the ‘protected minorities’ brigade . yet my recycle bin is 1/2 a kilo over weight and i get a warning !!!
@Eric Davies: I was going to say the same thing. In the woods up here there are tons of paint tubs, oil cans, the odd mattress and stuff most likely cleared out of a shed. Some of it so far in the woods you’d wonder who bothers. Nothing is being done about it. I usually bring a bag when I go up with the dogs and pick up the usual cans, coffee cups and sweet wrappers left after weekends. While the first lot of dumpers are most like out make/save money, the latter lot is just ignorant. I think it would be no harm if some schools got together and helped in clean up. Might raise awareness as to how much damage littering can cause in general. Maybe the kids can then educate their elders.
As the cost if living continues to rise then problems like illegal dumping will also continue to increase.
@David Corrigan: Absolutely no excuse for dumping like that none what so ever.
Theres recycling centres all over the country, one close to me costs 2 euro. Cost of living is not the problem sure they can afford to buy the rubbish they are dumping in the first place.
@Neil Ferriter: It is a disgusting thing to do for sure but with the cost of everything increasing, then I think you will see the illegal dumping increasing.
There is an element who will dump like this no matter what but there are others who simply can’t afford to use the bin management companies.
@David Corrigan: honestly, the petrol you would use driving up to these places probably costs as much as bringing it to a recycling centre. It’s nothing to do with money, it’s just pure laziness. People couldn’t be arsed driving to a centre and having to sort out the various bits into thier appropriate areas, they’d rather just chuck it on the side of a road. Used to happen all the time where I used to live. Pathetic behaviour.
@David Corrigan: stop defending these people.. it’s just a horrible thing to do and it’s less then a 5er to get rid of your rubbish in some places
@Yorkie1892: Defending them? Really?
@Conor Bradley: That is true Conor.
If you can afford to buy it, you can afford to dump it
@David Corrigan: lower the cost of living – drop income tax now government
@David Corrigan: What a load of nonsense. Money doesn’t buy you class, nor does it take it away. Whats the betting they smoked half a pack of cigs on the journey and stopped off at the pub when they were done.
@Pablo: You think?
@Neil Ferriter: show up with a mattress and it will be €30 for 1. Bring a trailer with old beds and furniture and your looking at over €100. Thats why people are dumping. Its all down to money.
This country is a kip
@Kev: The country really is beautiful, it’s a very small group of sty dwellers that make it ugly.
@Kev: then get out you miserable muppet..
People are the worst thing to ever happen to Earth.
@Lynne Anthony: She has already started to clean house.
Every household and business premises should be asked yearly to prove they have a waste company collecting their trash
There are parts of dublin where the council collect bins free of charge because if they charge the locals just dump it on the roads!
Oh my god, what absolute tossers doing something like that.
Need to put a few cameras on the R139 as there seems to be a new load of rubbish close to St Michaels every Monday morning. No sooner is it cleaned up it’s back again.
i live near a beach.. Last year after christmas someone dumped a huge amount of rubbish, including all the empty boxes from their very expensive presents.. Flat screen tvs the works.. No expense spared but they came all the way out the city to dump…. Insane
@Caro Kelly: Out of curiosity, how did you know if it was someone from a city? Do rural people not buy presents or something?
@Simon Carroll: based on the assumption that i caught a previous dumper emptying the contents of his shed.. His excuse was its just a few bits…. Most people living in the countryside have pride in their area.
@Caro Kelly: I think I know where you’re talking about. I spotted it also
The Government have to step in and go back to the old way all household waste picked up at the house and make compulsory it the only way our beautiful Country is becoming one big tip .
Our local tidy town caught an illegal dumper recently, the vile pigs had left their medication box with name and address on it,
Privatisation of rubbish collection is obviously not working. Just get back to Council
collections.
@Moorooka Mick: and include the cost in peoples rent that way they will have to pay !
The consequence of privatising what was a public service.
Time to put a barrier system in at the bottom of the mountains,just like a carpark with a camera attached,ban large vans and trucks from going over it,also put a weighing plate in the ground,if the vehicle is lighter leaving the area the barrier won’t go up ant the camera is triggered for the vehicles details are recorded an the council is informed straight away.moniter 24/7 with staff??
10000 fine for dumping . Pay in cash, credit card, deduction from wages or social welfare should sort it. Increased use of drones and hidden cameras to enforce, However this was an inevitable result of charging directly for waste collection
I don’t think it is all city people. Over near Avocs there is an old miners trail. On the way up and on the way down you can see lots of rubbish dumped among the trees
Definitely not city dwellers driving all the way down there to dump rubbish. Really sad part is most of what is dumped is recyclable.
Some times on Friday I clean up the rubbish thrown along the side of College Road in Castleknock
You would be astonished at the number of bottles and cans, and more recently small gin bottles. Again most of it is recyclable.
Of you ask me a big solution would be a deposit scheme of day a Euro on each bottle or can. So if you dump it, then whoever brings it back, can claim the deposit. Some Europe countries have bin where you get a credit back for every bottle or can you put back on the bin after use. Would be a massive help and I am sure every Tidy Towns Committee would welcome it.
Very little difference between that and landfill waste
@Finbarr Dowling: most of the stuff dumped on the side of roads can be recycled. Beds, fridges, washing machines etc. So yes there is a big difference. I can’t understand why people think it’s acceptable to try and justify such disgusting behaviour.
@Conor Bradley: recycling electrical appliances if free and they still get dumped.
About time rubbish collection was included in the property tax
I live near the base of the Wicklow mountains in a beautifully picturesque area, it both saddens and angers me in equal measure to see so much rubbish being dumped. The people who behave like this are no better then animals.
Report Litter, waste, illegal dumping anywhere @ OpenLitterMap.com – the data is freely available as open data so there should be no problem getting it sorted.
Unfortunately, whilst people volunteer their time the council will do nothing to prevent it. It’s free labour so it’s not costing them a cent to deal with the problem. Withdraw the voluntary acts and hit the council with the bill and then you’ll see action. They have the resources
There is a large amount of dirty lazy people in this country
If you don’t like what you see, volunteer to help out:
http://www.pureproject.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/pure_mile_6pa4_2018-application.pdf
Office: 0404 45547
Email: info@pureproject.ie
Disgusting
We’re a nation of dirty f**kers, it’s absolutely unbelievable how some people think they can just dump their waste anywhere they feel.
Don’t blame the pig. Blame the farmer.
They should bring in a law that any vehicle used to illegally dump is forfeit immediately when identified. I’d like to include people who throw their McDonalds or whatever out of the car when finished. A few secret cameras and confiscated cars will soon stop these types
My neighbour gave SDCC top of range video video footage of a ‘party business’ dumping a van full of rubbish between tallaght and blessington – subject clear as day and number plate and party business name on side of van – yet absolutely nothing happened. Enforcement totally useless in this country.
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