Ireland’s ability to meet its 2030 municipal and packaging waste recycling targets is likely to prove ‘challenging’ without further policy intervention, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.
According to the EPA, municipal waste generated by households and businesses is forecast to continue to grow between now and the end of the decade, while recycling rates are forecast to remain ‘largely stagnant’.
‘Improve modestly’
The recycling rate for packaging waste – including cardboard, paper, plastics and glass – is forecast to ‘improve modestly’, it said, however any gains are likely to be eroded by growing waste generation.
In addition, the latest data from the EPA indicates that Ireland‘s recycling targets for municipal and packaging waste for 2025 were missed.
‘Gains eroded’
“While recycling rates for packaging are improving, these gains are eroded by continued growth in waste generation,” commented David Flynn, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability.
“The priority now is to implement policy measures in the government’s Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy, delivering the practical circular economy solutions to incentivise waste prevention and better material recovery along the full supply chain.’’
According to the EPA, meeting the 2030 municipal waste recycling target of 60% will require an additional 500,000 tonnes of recycling.
The agency added that it will continue to update and refine its forecasts as new, verified waste data becomes available, noting that the uncertainty of forecasting increases beyond a three- or four-year timeline.
The forecasts cover waste data for 2024 and 2025, where official figures are not yet available, as well as estimates for 2026 and 2027. Read more here.
