Recycling by homeowners in South at almost twice minimum EU target

Recycling by homeowners in the southern region of the country rose dramatically from 2012 to 2014 and now stands at almost twice the minimum EU target.

Householders in the nine counties that comprise the Southern region are now recycling 75% of their waste, a 12% rise in the two-year period, according to the 2016 annual report of Southern Region Waste Management Office, the body that promotes best practice in waste management in the southern counties.

The amount of household waste sent to landfill has also fallen but the overall annual amount of it has risen.

In its report, the SRWMO said very significant gains have been made but there’s still much to be done to deliver on the objectives of the Southern Region Waste Management 2015-2021 plan, which is focused on the safe and sustainable prevention and management of waste.

The office promotes higher order waste actions in the areas of prevention, reuse, resource-efficiency and recycling for 10 local authorities comprising Carlow, Clare, Cork City, Cork County, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick City and county, Tipperary, Waterford City and county, and Wexford.

The report was launched at the Mungret Recycling Centre in Co Limerick by Conn Murray, chief executive of Limerick City and County Council and Seán Keating, director of services at Tipperary County Council. Limerick City and County Council and Tipperary County Council are the lead authorities for the Southern region.

Among the key performance indicators in the report, which includes a number of telling comparisons in waste management practices across the region between 2012 and 2014, is that the disposal rate of waste to landfill from households has dropped from 37% to 25% in that period.

Other positive results include that the recycling and recovery rate has improved from 63% in 2012 to 75% in 2014.

On the flip side, however, the report reveals that the annual amount of household waste produced per person has increased from 295kg to 299kg from 2012 to 2014.

Commenting on the report, Philippa King, regional waste co-ordinator, said: “This is very much a positive report. We are reducing the amount of waste per household going to landfill, our recycling and recovery rate is increasing and our WEEE recovery is well above the EU minimum target.

“We are, however, concerned that the actual amount of household waste per person is increasing and what we really need to do here is have a greater focus on prevention, reuse and recycling,” he said.