Ireland has third highest waste level per capita

IT might be dismissed as a load of old rubbish but official figures show that Irish people generate some of the highest levels of household waste anywhere in the EU.

New research on municipal waste levels across Europe shows Ireland has the third highest rate per capita in 2009 with each individual generating 742kg per annum.

It equates to each adult generating about 10 times their own body weight in waste each year. Only Denmark and Cyprus generates more waste on a per capita basis than Ireland which produces almost 45% more municipal waste than the EU average of 513kg per annum.