Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics released

Provisional Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics for July to September 2021 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. This is the sixth quarterly waste report to include data from a period when measures and advice were implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Download the report

The key points are:

• Northern Ireland’s councils collected 275,759 tonnes of waste during July to September 2021, a 4.5% decrease compared to July to September 2020.
• During July to September 2021, 52.6% of waste collected by councils was sent for recycling, similar to the recycling rate for July to September 2020.
• The landfill rate for waste collected by councils was 23.7% in July to September 2021, a fall from 71.8% in July to September 2006, but higher than the 21.6% recorded during July to September 2020.
• Just over a fifth (21.5%) of waste arisings were sent for energy recovery in July to September 2021, lower than the 23.0% reported in July to September 2020, but an increase from the 0.1% rate during the same quarter in 2009.
• Household waste accounted for 88.7 % of all waste collected during this period.
• The recycling rate for household waste was 53.0%, down from 53.9% in July to September 2020. The landfill rate for household waste was 23.5%, an increase from 21.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

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 2021/22 financial year covering the period July to September 2021. 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 2021/22 is scheduled for November 2022.

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 eight of the 11 district councils were split into two Waste Management Groups with three 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 Twitter and Facebook.

8. All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office.

9. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hour’s 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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