Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics released

Provisional Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics for July to September 2023 have been published today by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

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. 

Download the report

The key points are:

• Northern Ireland’s councils collected 264,804 tonnes of waste during July to September 2023, higher than the 249,575 tonnes collected during July to September 2022.
• During July to September 2023, 53.2% of waste collected by councils was sent for recycling, higher than the 51.5% recorded during July to September 2022.
• The landfill rate for waste collected by councils was 16.8 % in July to September 2023, a fall from both 71.8% in July to September 2006 and 22.8*% during July to September 2022.
• Over one quarter (28.8%) of waste arisings were sent for energy recovery in July to September 2023 which was higher than the 24.1% reported in July to September 2022. In the longer term, energy recovery rates have increased from 0.1% recorded during July to September 2009.
• Household waste accounted for 87.8% of all Local Authority collected (LAC) waste during this period.
• The recycling rate for household waste was 54.1% in July to September 2023, 1.2 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in July to September 2022. The landfill rate for household waste was 16.4% which was lower than the rate of 21.8% recorded in July to September 2022.

Notes to editors: 

1. This is the latest in a regular series of quarterly Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics reports and is the second report for the 2023/24 financial year covering the period July to September 2023. 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 2023/24 is scheduled for November 2024.

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 four main sections in the report which covers local authority collected municipal waste and, where appropriate, household waste: arisings; reuse, dry recycling, composting; energy recovery; and 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.

7. Follow DAERA on X formerly called Twitter and Facebook.

8. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office at: pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk

9. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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