Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

413 Chapter 15: Circular Economy and Waste Figure 15.9  Trends in municipal and packaging waste generation and recycling 0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 ˜ Municipal recycled amount ˜ Municipal not recycled 0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 ˜ Packaging recycled amount ˜ Packaging not recycled 1717 Tonnes Tonnes Source: EPA, 2023b 15 Backfilling is a waste recovery operation carried out at an authorised waste facility, where suitable soil and stone waste is used for land improvement, for reclamation purposes in excavated areas, or for engineering purposes in landscaping. Backfilling sits one tier above landfill but below recycling and reuse on the waste management hierarchy. Construction and demolition waste. Construction waste accounts for over half of the total waste currently being generated in Ireland. Excavated soil and stone waste makes up about 85% of the total; the remainder includes concrete, brick, tiles, glass, metal, plastic and wood. Approximately 8% of total Irish construction and demolition waste is recycled or reused, with most being used as backfilling 15 material and some being sent for disposal. Based on 2021 figures, approximately 8.2 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste was backfilled (7.65 million tonnes) or disposed of at landfills (0.6 million tonnes). Given that so much of this waste is potentially preventable, reusable or recyclable, this is an unnecessary and largely avoidable cost for the construction industry. It also has very negative environmental consequences in terms of carbon emissions, waste capacity and Ireland’s material circularity rate. The EPA has introduced national by-product and end-of-waste decisions for construction-based materials to reduce construction waste and to encourage increased reuse and recycling activities (see further information in section 5). In Ireland, construction waste is the fastest growing waste stream and is increasing at an alarming rate (see Figure 15.10). The amount of construction and demolition waste rose to 9 million tonnes in 2021 from 3 million tonnes in 2014.