The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 may have had an impact on some of the indicators (such as emissions to air, transport and energy) in this publication.
Municipal waste generated in Ireland peaked at 3.4 million tonnes in 2007, up from 2.7 million tonnes in 2001. It fell to 2.6 million tonnes in 2014, before increasing to 3.1 million tonnes in 2019.
Municipal waste per capita fell from 800 kilogrammes per capita in 2006 to 564 in 2014. By 2019 it had risen to 627 kilogrammes per capita.
There was a sharp decrease in the proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill in Ireland from 84% in 2001 to 16% in 2019.
The recovery rate of packaging waste in Ireland increased from 25% in 2001 to 95% in 2019.
The total weight of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collected in Ireland fell from 51,531 tonnes in 2007 to 39,628 in 2011, before rising to 62,714 in 2018. In 2019 this figure had fallen slightly to 62,638 tonnes.
| Year | Electrical waste collected |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 51.53086 |
| 2008 | 52.2305573192883 |
| 2009 | 44.812 |
| 2010 | 44.431 |
| 2011 | 39.628 |
| 2012 | 41.177 |
| 2013 | 42.629 |
| 2014 | 44.911 |
| 2015 | 48.626 |
| 2016 | 51.303 |
| 2017 | 52.312 |
| 2018 | 62.714 |
| 2019 | 62.638 |
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