Latest waste statistics

The latest local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste management statistics (October to December 2017) published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) indicate that household waste accounts for 89.3 per cent of total LAC municipal waste.

Between October and December 2017, the 11 councils collected 232,004 tonnes of LAC municipal waste, an increase of 1.7 per cent compared the same three-month period in 2016. At one end of the spectrum, Newry, Mourne and Down had the lowest average weight of household waste per person (99kg) while at the opposite end, in Antrim and Newtownabbey this was 131kg.

The rate of household waste preparing for reuse, dry recycling and composting was 47.1 per cent during this quarter, up from 42.1 per cent during the equivalent period in 2016. This varied from 40.1 per cent in Causeway Coast and Glens to 54.6 per cent in Mid Ulster.

The LAC municipal waste energy recovery rate was 18.4 per cent, lower than the 19.8 per cent recorded for October to December 2016. Newry, Mourne and Down recorded the highest rate (50.0 per cent), while the lowest was in Fermanagh and Omagh (4.1 per cent). The average landfill rate for household waste in this quarter was 32.3 per cent, reduced from 38.1 per cent in 2016.