The Republic has no choice but to reverse the current trend of generating increasing quantities of refuse and "break the link between economic growth and waste production".
The EPA report is highly critical of attempts at waste minimisation. "Recycling or otherwise reducing the volume of waste has met with little or only minor success," it says, though some newer schemes offer some hope of a better performance.
The agency, none the less, concludes the State "in this and in many other areas of environmental concern is following the same trend in other more developed countries of Europe [where waste volumes are growing] and that little change can be expected in the immediate future".
It notes: "Despite expression of much public concern, especially resistance to development of new landfills or to other methods of disposal such as incineration, there is little indication of a widespread attempt, either at private or public level, to reduce the amounts of waste generated."
While this may be partly due to lack of necessary opportunities or back-up needed, it says the problem is not being addressed in a radical enough manner.
There is a need for a national infrastructure of waste recycling and disposal facilities, it suggests.
Capacity for collection of glass, aluminium cans and textiles is growing but there is "very poor coverage for plastics, steel, paper and other materials".
In the absence of incineration, landfill will continue to be the primary disposal route for household and commercial waste, yet EU policy considers landfill to be the least desirable waste management practice.
