How Much Waste Does Ireland Produce?

Croke Park as a rubbish dump

Ireland, per head of population, is among the highest waste producers in Europe. Irish people on average produce the largest amount of municipal waste (per-person) in the EU. Our waste every year would fill Croke Park to the top of the stands.

Unfortunately, illegal dumping is also common in Ireland. It is unnecessary and causes a lot of concern for our countryside and all the wildlife that inhabits it. In order to combat illegal dumping in the upland Dublin/Wicklow areas, the Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (PURE) Project was initiated in 2006. Each month, the PURE Project collects 30 tonnes of illegally dumped waste in these areas.

With so much waste around it is little wonder that there is increasing pressure on landfill sites and other waste infrastructure.The capacity of these dumps has improved since 2001, largely due to the licensing of additional and extended landfill facilities. However, in 2003 the EPA reported that landfills in six of the ten management plan regions nationwide had less than three years' capacity left. A number of regions continue to have very limited landfill capacity remaining.