EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 9: Waste Waste 1. Introduction Waste comes from the production and consumption of resources, products and services. The quantity of waste generated, its nature and composition, and how and where it is treated all cause environmental pressures, affecting where we live and work and our recreational spaces. Land use, air quality and water quality are all affected to an extent and poor waste management practices can affect our health and wellbeing. While Ireland is meeting current waste legislative targets, future targets under circular economy legislation will be a challenge given recent performance. 1 Ireland’s municipal landfills and waste to energy facilities are operating at capacity, and we are reliant on export markets to treat much of our residual, recyclable and hazardous waste. This presents a significant risk for the country. Much waste generation is linked to our consumer values and lifestyles and to products and packaging not being designed for reuse, durability, repairability or recyclability. Waste characterisation studies have provided evidence of poor segregation of household and commercial kerbside bins, which results in waste that could be recycled being sent for disposal or energy recovery, the least preferred options in the waste hierarchy. Wasteful behaviours, such as wasting food, cost households and businesses money each year. There is potential to reduce carbon emissions by improving our waste management behaviours and by becoming more self-sufficient in waste management. 1 Unless otherwise specified, the Environmental Protection Agency is the source of the waste data presented. For more information, see http://www.epa.ie/nationalwastestatistics We are at a pivotal point in Ireland’s waste policy, legislation and planning. A National Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy was published in September (see Topic Box 9.1). Waste legislation is being amended to bring in challenging new targets and obligations on producers. Statutory waste prevention and waste management plans will be reviewed in 2020/2021. This pivot point provides opportunity for change. The ambition for Ireland is a circular economy (Figure 9.1) in which waste is prevented, consumption of single-use items is reduced, reuse and repair initiatives are incentivised, recycling is maximised, and waste is used as an energy source to replace fossil fuels. The 2019 National Climate Action Plan identified the challenge of the sustainable use of resources and the opportunity for making carbon savings in a circular economy. Figure 9.1  Circular economy (Source: EPA) Raw Materials Circular Economy Residual Waste Recycling Distribution Consumption, Use, Reuse, Repair Collection Production, Remanufacturing Design 225