Written answers

Tuesday, 12 December 2006

Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government

Waste Management

11:00 am

Photo of Michael D HigginsMichael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 144: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has received estimates for the amounts of municipal, household and C and D wastes which were land-filled in 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42590/06]

Photo of Dick RocheDick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The detailed information sought is not available in my Department. National waste statistics for all waste streams are published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). National Waste Reports have been published in respect of the years 1998, 2001 and 2004 with interim reports published in respect of 2002 and 2003. An interim report will be issued by the Agency early in the New Year in respect of 2005.

The following table sets out the position in relation to the amount of the wastes specified in the Question that have been landfilled in each of the respective years since 1998 for which data is available:

19982001200220032004
Municipal Waste1,685,7661,992,0501,901,8641,832,6251,818,536
Household Waste1,125,6981,254,8571,294,0611,231,1091,214,908
Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste*1,533,3861,250,297N/AN/AN/A
* These figures relate to the amounts of C&D waste disposed of to landfill.

There has been significant progress in recovery and recycling of waste in Ireland in recent years. The Government policy document Waste Management: — Changing Our Ways (1998) set a target of 35% recycling for municipal waste by 2013. The EPA's National Waste Report 2004 shows that the recycling rate for municipal waste in that year was 32.6%. In addition, the diversion of household waste now stands at 19.5%, up from 3.2% in 1998 while the recovery rate for C&D waste is reported as a provisional 85.2% equating to an estimated 9,513,962 tonnes.

Increases in recycling have been achieved as a result of a range of policies introduced and supported by my Department including the provision of recycling facilities, 1929 brings banks and 69 civic amenity sites, the roll-out of segregated waste collection services, greater use of pay-by-use charging for waste management services and awareness raising measures such as the Race Against Waste.

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