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

Chapter 9: Waste Table 9.2  Treatment routes for sewage sludge (tonnes dry solids), 2016-2019 (Source: EPA) YEAR AGRICULTURE COMPOST LANDFILL OTHER a TOTAL 2016 45,344 9610 102 962 56,018 2017 46,487 10,065 87 2134 58,773 2018 44,003 10,605 91 527 55,226 2019 52,139 6,099 115 277 58,630 a Treated sludge that was in storage or used in anaerobic digestion or as a fuel in cement kilns. Litter and Backyard Burning Littering is a persistent problem. The National Litter Pollution Monitoring System is a Department of Environment initiative to report on litter pollution countrywide and measure changes over time through annual reporting. In 2018, the proportion of areas considered unpolluted was 20.5 per cent (15.6% in 2017) and the amount of grossly polluted areas was 0.4 per cent (0.3% in 2017) (DCCAE, 2019a). The main causes of litter pollution were passing pedestrians (42%) and passing motorists (22%) and the main constituents were cigarette- related litter (54%) and packaging items (18%), measured as litter counts versus weights. The EPA estimates that 47,307 tonnes of household waste went unmanaged 9 in 2018, reflecting a minority of citizens illegally dumping or burning their waste. During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic 2020 lockdown period, the EPA received a four-fold increase in enquires in relation to illegal backyard burning and there was evidence that illegal dumping had increased (EPA, 2020c). It is estimated that 70,000 tonnes of street cleaning and fly- tipped wastes were managed by local authorities in 2018 (EPA, unpublished data). 10,11 9 Unmanaged waste being waste that was not collected at the kerbside or brought to waste collection centres. 10 Not including litter and street bin waste (23,000 tonnes). 11 The EPA has conducted a characterisation study on litter bin and street sweeping waste. Unauthorised Waste Disposal Enforcement of unauthorised waste disposal is a priority action for regulators. The EPA is carrying out a study into the nature and extent of waste crime in Ireland, which will report on the scale, costs and impact of waste crime and assess the extent of illegal dumping over the last 10 years. 12 Enforcement of unauthorised waste disposal is a priority action for regulators. Multi-agency waste enforcement operations have stopped significant illegal waste activities (Council of the European Union, 2018). Historic Landfills The past reliance on landfills means that remediation and ongoing monitoring of closed sites are a significant ongoing cost to the State. For many years, disposal to landfill was the primary method for treating waste in Ireland and there is a significant ongoing cost to the State for the remediation and monitoring of landfills, of which 611 have been registered. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General identified that nearly €106 million has been provided in grants to local authorities to undertake remediation works on 121 landfill sites, with works on 22 sites completed, but there is no estimate of the expenditure that may be required for the sites where remediation is ongoing or where the risk assessment is yet to be completed (Comptroller and Auditor General, 2020). 12 The last report on unauthorised waste disposal was published in 2005 (EPA, 2005). 233