TWO THIRDS OF rubbish that was disposed of through general waste bins in Ireland could’ve been recycled or composted, a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found.

The National Municipal Waste Characterisation Project found that food waste made up 30% of the content found in commercials waste bins and 17% in household waste bins in 2022.

The findings have led the EPA to call on Ireland to make urgent improvements to their household and commercial waste segregation and recycling performance through the provision of organic waste bins to all households and commercial premises.

The project also found that recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard and metal account for around 24% of the household general waste bin and 37% of the commercial general waste bin.

A statement from the EPA said: “Access to recycling infrastructure, such as civic amenity sites and bring banks, needs to be made easier for householders to support segregation of special, bulky and hazardous wastes.”

A further rollout of organic waste bins – or ‘brown bins’ – to houses, apartments, and commercial sectors needs be “enforced to ensure waste collectors are providing the same level of service to customers”, the agency said.

The EPA noted that this project found that there was “very little change” in Ireland’s waste performance when compared to a similar report in 2018. 

Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability labelled the findings as “disappointing” and said households and businesses incorrectly disposing of their waste is a “lost opportunity”.

“Organic waste bins need to rolled out urgently to businesses and households without this service,” he said

Lehane added that new commercial waste regulations must be implemented “without delay”.

Brown Bin debate

Earlier in the year, commercial waste company Panda were criticised by politicians and local representatives after it decided to change its price €3.80 for brown bin collections in the Fingal local authority.

According to Ireland’s National Waste Policy, which plans how Ireland should manage waste between 2020 and 2025, the government plans to work with local authorities to “ensure that every householder and business has access to a reliable, clean and sustainable way of managing food waste”.

At the time, Green Party councillor for Fingal Daniel Whooley told The Journal he believed that imposing the new fee could potentially hinder proper waste management, as people will have less of an incentive to use their brown bins for food and garden waste.

“While I understand that waste management companies aim to cover their operational costs, it is vital to keep environmental policies accessible and affordable.” he added.

Dublin South-West TD for People Before Profit Paul Murphy said that the bins should be placed back in the control of the local councils and that the move was “about profit for a private company”.

The matter was later brought in front of the Dáil, during Leader’s Questions, when PBP TD Bríd Smith was accused by Tánaiste Micheál Martin of seeking to “destroy Ireland’s economic model” as the pair clashed over the privatisation of bin collection.

Martin later went on to say a review would be conducted into the matter and added that he believes private companies are “required to charge fees” to incentivise households to minimise and segregate their waste.