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Sustainable Resource Use, Consumption and Waste
61
At 6.4 million tonnes, process
industrial waste dominates the list,
and is virtually unchanged since
2006. A substantial proportion of
this 6.4 million tonnes of industrial
process waste is mineral in nature
(approximately 3.7 million tonnes)
mainly as a result of Ireland’s
significant mining and ore
processing activities (Figure 5.1).
The impact of the economic
downturn is very marked in a
number of the waste streams (Figure
5.2). Household waste was the
first to respond to the economic
pressures, followed by commercial
waste: both streams remain in sharp
decline despite a stabilising of GNP.
Hazardous waste as a surrogate for
industrial performance has remained
stable, reflecting the performance
of large manufacturing sectors. The
collapse of the construction and
demolition sector is very marked.
The challenge for Ireland is to
ensure that waste generation does
not increase at a matching rate to
economic recovery and that the
strong link between consumption
and waste generation on one hand,
and economic growth on the other,
is broken.
Municipal Waste Management
Municipal waste in Ireland is made
up of household waste, commercial
waste (including non-process
industrial waste) and cleansing waste
(e.g. street sweepings, municipal
parks and maintenance waste).
This stream and its component
parts are given extended attention
here as they are good indicators of
the sustainability of consumption
behaviours within society.
In 2010, municipal waste generated
amounted to just over 2.85 million
tonnes, a 16% reduction on the
peak seen in 2007 (EPA, 2009b,
2012a). There is a strong correlation
between the recent reductions in
waste volumes and the abrupt fall in
personal consumption even though
population has continued to grow
(Figure 5.3).
Municipal waste generation includes
a provision for estimated uncollected
household waste of 266,000 t. This
tonnage equates to an estimated
16% of occupied houses in the
State that do not avail of a waste
collection service.
Figure 5.2
Waste Generation and Economic Performance (Source: EPA, CSO)
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
90,000
100,000
110,000
120,000
130,000
140,000
150,000
160,000
170,000
180,000
190,000
Household Waste Managed
Commercial Waste Managed
Hazardous Waste Generated
GNP (€ million)
Tonnage
GNP (€ million, constant market prices)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Municipal Waste
Hazardous Waste
C&D Waste
GNP
Index 2004 = 100
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010