Different Wastes

Municipal Waste

The image shows a bin on a street packed full of household and commerical waste.

Municipal Waste

The image shows a bin on a street packed full of household and commerical waste.

Household waste is produced within a home setting, while Commercial waste comes from premises used wholly or mainly for the purposes of a trade/business or for sport, recreation, education or entertainment. Both of these wastes together are labelled Municipal Waste. The percentage of municipal waste recovered has increased in recent years. In 2009 39% (1.1 M tonnes) of this waste stream was recovered. This exceeds the national target of 35% recoverabled by 2013.

Biodegradable municipal waste include items like wood, paper and cardboard that can undergo biological decomposition. Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is combustible materials that can be converted into energy - in an industrial furnace.

Agricultural waste comes in both non-natural and natural forms. Non-natural waste includes packaging, non-packaging plastics (silage wrapping), animal health products (syringes) and waste from machinery (oil, tyres and batteries).

Manufacturing is the second greatest source of waste . It accounted for an estimated 3.8 million tonnes in 2006. The quantity of hazardous waste generated in 2009 was 289,910 tonnes, a 9% decrease since 2008. In 2009, 52% of Irish hazardous waste (not including contaminated soil) was exported for treatment. The waste includes: food, beverages, basic metals, paper products, wood products and chemical products.

Construction and demolition waste is the unwanted material that arises from construction, renovation and demolition activities. The amount of waste generated in this sector has decreased dramatically because of the economic downturn. Total waste recovered from this sector was 5.09 million tonnes in 2009 (a recovery rate of 99%). This sector has been the subject of national policy since 1998, with targets set for 50% and 85% recycling by 2003 and 2013 respectively.