WASTE INCREASE:WASTE GENERATION and resource use are at unsustainably high levels in Ireland, according to the EPA report.
The agency says that since the last report four years ago the generation of waste has increased in tandem with economic and population growth. It points to sectors such of energy, water supply, transport, mining, quarrying and construction.
The report points to the example of the substantial increase in car ownership and the issues this has created in terms of dealing with end-of-life cars, oils, filters, batteries and tyres. It concludes that personal travel, especially flights, has also contributed to the increase in the waste stream. Demand must be reduced or there must be use of less harmful materials to meet reasonable need, it states.
Construction, quarrying and mining and manufacturing accounted for 83 per cent of Ireland's waste in the four-year period, with municipal waste making up 11 per cent and hazardous waste 1 per cent. There was more than a one-tenth increase in municipal waste during that period, with more than 60 per cent of biodegradable waste being sent directly to landfills.
Household waste increased by 13 per cent with only 22 per cent being diverted away from landfills.
Export of waste continues to be a significant issue. In 2006, almost half of the 284,000 tonnes of hazardous waste was exported, some half of that being sent for thermal treatment. In addition, 407,000 tonnes of contaminated soil was exported and 1.6 million tonnes of ordinary recycled waste. Only 25 per cent of recyclable waste was processed in Ireland.
"Hazardous waste facilities, including thermal treatment capacity, is required if Ireland is moving towards self-sufficiency in managing hazardous waste," the report states. There is an urgent need to meet targets on diversion of biodegradable waste from landfills by 2010 through separate collections, composting and mechanical and biological treatments (MBT), it adds.
"The target to divert 50 per cent of household waste from landfills by 2013 is still some distance away."
The EPA notes that large-scale illegal waste activities seem to have been eliminated, but small-scale activities persist, including fly-tipping and burning of waste.
The report's main points are:
• Waste generation is at unsustainably high levels in Ireland
• This is tied in with economic and population growth
• There has been an 11 per cent increase in municipal waste
• Some 60 per cent of biodegradable waste is sent to landfills
• There has been a 13 per cent increase in household waste
• Export of waste in significant volumes continues
• There is a need for hazardous waste facilities, including thermal treatment, in Ireland.
