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Sustainable Resource Use, Consumption and Waste
65
Waste Infrastructure
Relative to other EU Member
States, Ireland’s waste infrastructure
has not been overly complex or
comprehensive. This is changing
rapidly, with more sophisticated
infrastructure for pre-treatment
and end-treatment of waste
recently developed or currently
under development. There is a
continued reliance on landfill (58%
in 2010), while for waste recovery/
recycling, the greater part of
candidate materials is exported,
although some indigenous capacity
is developing. A merchant municipal
waste incinerator commenced
operation in 2011, but no merchant
hazardous waste incineration
capacity is currently operational.
In recent years there has been a
significant growth in the use of
refuse-derived fuels in industrial
boilers/furnaces (co-incineration)
(Table 5.1). In 2008 a reported 88
thousand tonnes of waste was
used as a fuel, which grew to 183
thousand tonnes in 2010. In 2008,
the bulk of this refuse-derived fuel
was timber, but in 2010, general
municipal-waste-derived material
was the dominant element (from
processing of residual household
and commercial bins) (EPA, 2009a,
2012a). There is now a national
capacity to use over 340 thousand
tonnes of municipal-waste-derived
fuels in national cement kilns. Such
use replaces fossil fuel use, reduces
the land-take for waste disposal and
assists compliance with EU landfill
diversion targets.
Significant biological treatment
capacity is available (Table 5.1),
with more currently in the regulatory
process. The main deficit is in relation
to biological treatment facilities for
the residual municipal waste stream
prior to disposal to landfill.
In 2010, there were 28 EPA-licensed
municipal waste landfills operating
nationally. It is estimated that at
current fill rates, 15 of the existing
28 municipal solid waste landfills
will use up their consented capacity
within three years. Significantly,
landfill capacity is not distributed
evenly throughout the State and
some regions have very limited
landfill capacity (Figure 5.7).
National consented municipal
waste landfill capacity currently
stands at approximately 18 million
tonnes which represents about 12
years’ capacity at current fill rates.
In national infrastructure planning
terms this is not considered an
appropriate level of availability, due
to the lead-in time required for new
facilities in terms of planning and
licensing. 43% of the capacity is
owned by just four private sector
facilities.
In 2010, there was one civic amenity
site per 43,000 persons, and one
bring bank per 2,400 persons, in
operation (Table 5.1). Nearly 20%
of household waste is presented
at civic amenity and bring centres,
underlining their significant role in
the national waste infrastructure,
and essential role in waste collection
universal service provision (household
waste collection does not comprise
just kerbside activities).
Drivers and Pressures
Consumption and Waste
Generation
Consumption patterns are shaped
dynamically by a variety of
interacting social, cultural, political
and economic influences in Ireland,
Europe and the world. The natural
assets or ecosystem services and
resources available are limited and
their current use is unsustainable
(EEA, 2010). Consumption drives
the whole resource use life-
cycle. Household consumption
is considered key, as consumer
decisions are made daily about which
products/services will be consumed.
Industry is also a significant
consumer of raw materials, only a
fraction of which is derived from
secondary resources (EPA, 2009a,
2012a). The increasing import of
resources, including energy, into
Table 5.1
Waste Infrastructure (Source, EPA)
Principal Infrastructure Capacities (in Ireland)
Landfill
18Mt or 12 years at current fill rates
Merchant WtE Incineration
200,000 tpa
Refuse Derived Fuel Co-incineration (e.g. Cement Plants)** 343,000 tpa
Biological Treatment*
550,000 tpa
Bring Banks
1,922 facilities
Civic Amenity Sites
107 facilities
* Reported by Irish Waste Management Association
** Included proposed developments at Quinn Cement