Sharp differences in performance between local authorities in a range of areas are highlighted in an official report to be published today.
The Service Indicators in Local Authorities report says Longford County Council had the highest rate of household waste recycling at 57.9 per cent, while Carlow County Council registered the lowest at 6.5 per cent.
The report is published annually by the Local Government Management Services Board.
Nationally, the total of 235,533 tonnes of household waste recycled - an increase of 18 per cent from 2005 - was dwarfed by the 860,882 tonnes going to landfill.
The report noted an increase in the number of bring banks across the country - up by 4 per cent since 2004.
Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government John Gormley called for "an improved performance for those counties with low recycling rates". Acknowledging that the report showed progress in several areas, he said local authorities "must strive to do better to improve services to the public".
Mr Gormley drew attention to the fact that while local authority dwellings are on average re-let after less than four weeks, some local authorities have average delays of up to 20 weeks.
The report says local authority housing stock now numbers 115,386 dwellings, an increase of almost 1,700 since 2005.
Efforts to tackle litter pollution showed some improvement, with the total percentage of litter-free areas increasing from 6.1 per cent in 2005 to 6.8 per cent last year.
The total percentage of areas significantly polluted with litter fell from 8.5 per cent to 7.4 per cent and those grossly polluted from 1.5 per cent to 0.6 per cent.
The number of complaints concerning environmental pollution totalled 67,666 last year, with the average number of complaints received increasing by 63 per cent since 2004. More than 65,000 complaints were investigated and 9,878 enforcement procedures were taken.
Local authorities granted planning permission for 32,057 individual housing units and 6,276 housing developments last year, the report shows.
Of decisions on individual houses, 16,825 were determined within eight weeks. More than 3,000 applications for housing developments were decided within the same period.
Some 11,848 cases of planning enforcement were subject to complaints that were subsequently investigated. A total of 1,832 complaints were dismissed and 4,612 resolved through negotiations. Pre-planning consultations were popular, with a total of 28,113 such meetings facilitated last year.
The number of people using libraries as registered members has increased, the report found, as has usage of internet facilities now found at almost all libraries.
The report is available on www.litmus.ie