The amount of household waste sent to landfill by local authorities (LAs) in Northern Ireland (NI) has dropped below 100,000 tonnes despite an increase in the total waste collected and a slight drop in recycling.

The latest quarterly report, published today (28 January) by the NI Department of the Environment, provides a provisional statistical analysis of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste from July to September 2015.

The report states that 38 per cent of all waste collected by LAs – 98,000 tonnes out of a total of 254,593 tonnes – was sent to landfill during the quarter.

This is both two percentage points lower than the same period in 2014 and the first time that landfilled quantity has dropped below 100,000 tonnes.

The report attributes this decrease in landfilling to an increase in the amount of waste sent to produce energy via incineration, which has more than doubled, from 7.2 per cent to 16.4 percent, since the same period two years ago.

Key performance indicators

The report is split into five sections. The first covers the total amount of waste collected and the following four report on the amount of household waste sent for recycling, energy recovery, landfill and biodegradable landfill respectively.

These five points are viewed as key performance indicators for successful waste management, and the report uses figures from the same period over the last two years as a comparison.

The total amount of waste collected throughout NI has increased by 1.1 per cent since 2014, of which 89.5 per cent was from households, with the lowest amount of household waste per person seen in Fermanagh and Omagh at 106 kilogrammes per person.

The record-low landfill rate of 38 per cent is a decrease of 1.8 percentage points from 2014. This figure is aided by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon District Council, which reported only 20.9 per cent of waste sent to landfill, a value just over half the average NI rate.

The amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill has also fallen with 51,612 tonnes, 2.9 per cent, less than 2014. Councils also reportedly used less than 40 per cent of their landfill allocation under the Northern Ireland Landfill Allowance Scheme (NILAS) in the first two quarters of 2015-16. The target of this scheme is to reduce landfill waste to 35 per cent of 1995 levels by 2020, which equates to a reduction of 220,000 tonnes.

The reduction in landfill has mostly been due to an increase in waste sent to produce refuse-derived fuel. The energy recovery figures have increased to reflect this, with Derry City and Strabane showing the highest rate of energy recovery at 36.6 per cent.

A corresponding increase in recycling rates has not been noted, however, as 45.3 per cent, 115,000 tonnes, of waste were sent for reuse, dry recycling and composting.

This is a slight dip from last year’s figure of 45.7 per cent and follows a general trend from the last few reports, which suggests a stall in recycling rates in NI. Some counties show impressive levels of recycling, however, such as Mid Ulster, with the highest rate of 53.3 per cent.

Reduction welcome, but fall in recycling ‘disappointing’

Commenting on the figures, Northern Irish Environment Minister, Mark H. Durkan said: “The reduction in landfill is most welcome as it continues to save us money to invest elsewhere. However, the fall in recycling, no matter how slight, is disappointing.

“Just a little extra time to put your recyclable waste in the right container either at your home, a council recycling centre or one of the many ‘bring banks’ across the North will make a significant difference. Not only are there many facilities available but the range of materials that can be recycled is increasing – check out your new local councils’ website to see what more you can do.”

The full report into local authority waste management from July to September 2015 is available to download from the DOENI’s website.