Provisional Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics for January to March 2020 have been published today by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
This statistical report is updated quarterly and contains provisional information on key measurements of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste for councils and waste management groups in Northern Ireland.
The key points are:
- Northern Ireland’s councils collected 225,476 tonnes of waste during January to March 2020.
- During January to March 2020, 45.4 per cent of waste collected by councils was sent for recycling, 1.0 per cent lower than the recycling rate for January to March 2019.
- The landfill rate for waste collected by councils recorded a new low of 24.8 per cent in January to March 2020, a fall from 76.5 per cent in January to March 2007.
- More than a quarter of waste arisings were sent for energy recovery in January to March 2020 compared to 1.2 per cent during the same quarter 10 years ago.
- Household waste accounted for 88.1 per cent of all waste collected during this period. The recycling rate for household waste was 46.0 per cent. The landfill rate for household waste was 24.7 per cent.
Notes to editors:
1. This is the latest in a regular series of quarterly Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics report and is the fourth report for the 2019/20 financial year covering the period January to March 2020. Current and previous reports dating back to 2009/10 can be accessed from the DAERA website. The series will continue to be updated on a quarterly basis.
2. All figures are provisional until the final end-year validation has been completed. An annual report with fully validated figures for 2019/20 is scheduled for November 2020.
3. The data in this report are based on returns made to WasteDataFlow, which is a web based system, used by all UK local authorities to report LAC municipal waste.
4. There are five main sections in the report which covers local authority collected municipal waste and, where appropriate, household waste: arisings; reuse, dry recycling, composting; energy recovery; landfill; and biodegradable landfill.
5. With the reform of local government in Northern Ireland 8 of the 11 district councils were split into two Waste Management Groups with 3 unaffiliated to any group as follows:
- arc21: Antrim & Newtownabbey; Ards & North Down, Belfast, Lisburn & Castlereagh; Mid & East Antrim; Newry, Mourne & Down.
- North West Regional Waste Management Group: Causeway Coast & Glens; Derry City & Strabane.
6. These statistics are released according to the Statement of Compliance with the Pre-release access to Official Statistics Order (NI) 2009. National Statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
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