State poor in waste management - survey

The Republic is performing poorly in a number of waste management areas, according to a benchmarking report published yesterday by Forfás.

The report also highlighted concerns over the Republic's ability to meet the waste treatment needs of Irish industry.

It compared the State's waste management performance to that of competitor countries.

The Republic produces more municipal waste (which includes household and some commercial waste) per capita than any other country surveyed, and the State's manufacturing waste production per employee is also relatively high, according to the survey.

While the Republic managed to increase the level of municipal waste being recycled from 13 per cent in 2001 to 33 per cent in 2004, it has performed poorly in relation to industrial waste recovery, with landfill still heavily relied upon as a waste management solution.

The report also noted that the Republic's waste treatment and recycling costs are higher than most other countries included in the benchmarking survey.

This is due to a dependence on exporting waste for recycling treatment.

Currently 30 per cent of municipal waste and 70 per cent of hazardous waste is exported. The report also highlighted the need for the Republic to increase its waste capacity by providing an alternative to landfill.

Martin Cronin, chief executive of Forfás, said: "Continuing increases in waste management due to a growing population and economy, lengthy delays in rolling out planned infrastructure, and an increasing dependence on exporting have led to concerns over the ability of the Irish waste system to cater for further economic expansion and to provide competitively priced waste management solutions."