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

Ireland’s Environment – An Integrated Assessment 2020 Chapter Highlights for Waste Ireland needs to do more to prevent waste at all stages of a product’s life cycle, incentivise reuse and repair, increase recycling and extract the maximum resources from waste that cannot be recycled. Implementing the policy initiatives under the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy will be central to delivering the systemic changes needed. Strong, consistent, multi-agency enforcement and campaigns to change public behaviour are needed to effectively target littering in urban and rural areas, to prevent waste crime and to ensure that those who break the law are held accountable. How we manage and recycle our waste needs to be reviewed. Municipal and packaging waste recycling rates have stagnated or declined but improved segregation of kerbside bins could bring about significant improvement in rates. Landfill and waste-to- energy treatment in Ireland is at capacity and the country is highly dependent on export markets to treat residual, recyclable and hazardous wastes. We need to build in resilience to Ireland’s waste management capacity in the event of emergencies. 252