# Waste

Last year

2022

# Waterford

Council criticised by auditor for not recovering €700k bill for clearing ex-mayor's landfill

Declan Doocey, a Fine Gael councillor, served as Mayor of Waterford City and County between 2018 and 2019.

35.9k

Dec 9th 2022, 5:35 PM

# recycling

Rising levels of waste making it difficult to increase recycling rates, EPA warns

The EPA’s national waste statistics report for 2020 has been published today.

7.5k

Dec 7th 2022, 6:00 AM

Voices

Cafe owner: We are being persecuted by the 'latte levy' due to come in

Restaurant owner Peter Shanahan says businesses like his have done all they can to work sustainably and the new coffee cup levy will hurt that effort.

52.5k

Oct 30th 2022, 7:00 AM

# food waste

UK labour shortage causes unpicked food to rot in fields

Ukrainians had temporarily partly filled the gap but since the Russian invasion many have been stuck in their homeland.

36.1k

Aug 15th 2022, 8:26 PM

THE MORNING LEAD

New polling finds widespread support for 20c levy on disposable cups

A report by

Céimin Burke

Legislation to create the so-called ‘latte levy’ was signed into law in recent weeks.

Nearly three-quarters of people are in favour of the latte levy.

The measure is due to be introduced before the end of the year.

Environmentalists say it will help tackle waste but restaurateurs argue it will hurt small businesses.

16.6k

Aug 15th 2022, 12:05 AM

# Reusables

Circular Economy Act signed into law with disposable cup levy due before end of year

The levy on disposable cups – the best-known feature of the act – aims to help phase out single-use products.

14.8k

Jul 22nd 2022, 3:06 PM

All time

# recycling

Urgent action needed over 'worryingly low' plastic packaging recycling rates, says EPA

There’s “significant cause for concern” from these figures according to an EPA Senior Scientist.

15.0k

Dec 3rd 2021, 11:44 AM

Voices

Opinion: 'We can't export our way out of our fast fashion addiction'

Caitriona Rogerson highlights the social and environmental cost of the second-hand clothing trade on African countries.

12.3k

Nov 10th 2021, 8:00 PM

# recycling

More than one million tonnes of packaging waste created in Ireland for third year in a row

Our recycling rate has continued to decline.

10.4k

Sep 10th 2021, 6:00 AM

# dose wastage

15 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been wasted in the US since March – report

Reasons for dose wastage include cracked vials, errors in diluting vaccines, freezer malfunctions and more doses in a vial than people who want them.

15.3k

Sep 1st 2021, 10:28 PM

# Waste

Levy on disposable coffee cups to be introduced in coming months

The fee could be introduced later this year or early next year.

36.0k

Aug 3rd 2021, 10:12 AM

# Scotland

Millions of new smart TVs, laptops and other items in Amazon warehouse marked 'destroy'

A probe found that items earmarked for destruction at a Scottish warehouse.

194k

Jun 21st 2021, 2:57 PM

# What a waste

Poll: Have you noticed more litter in your area during lockdown?

Fine Gael Senator Regina Doherty recently hit out at the “phenomenal” amount of dog faeces in Irish villages.

29.0k

Feb 27th 2021, 10:00 AM

Voices

Opinion: 'The litter-picker was in the post. I was snookered'

Rory McNab shares his newfound love of collecting litter along Dublin’s Grand Canal, which has provided an unexpected pick-me-up in lockdown.

40.0k

Feb 27th 2021, 7:30 AM

# Poll

Poll: Will you try to limit your waste this Christmas?

Limiting waste isn’t always at the top of the priority list at Christmas.

26.3k

Dec 13th 2020, 11:22 AM

Voices

Opinion: Why the planet needs us to cut our consumption this Christmas

Environmental campaigner Lyndsey O’Connell explains how our online festive shopping habits are leading to an excess of cardboard and plastic waste.

14.7k

Dec 12th 2020, 8:00 PM

# hazardous waste

EPA: Ireland lacks adequate facilities to process the hazardous waste it generates

581,000 tonnes of hazardous waste were produced in Ireland in 2019.

6.9k

Dec 11th 2020, 1:59 PM

# EPA

Raw sewage from 35 towns and villages flows into our environment every day

The Environmental Protection Agency is sharply critical of Irish Water in its latest report.

54.4k

Nov 12th 2020, 6:15 AM

# Rubbish

EPA warns 'single-use and throwaway culture' leading to significant waste levels and decline in recycling

Recycling of packaging waste has declined from 70% in 2013 to 64% in 2018.

17.5k

Sep 16th 2020, 12:47 PM

# Howth

'I don't believe they'll fix it by 2024': Irish Water inspects raw sewage spilling into Doldrum Bay

“They’ve failed to keep any of their promises to date,” one local said of the water utility.

22.1k

Jun 11th 2020, 12:05 AM

# lockdown littering

There's been a 50% surge in requests to deal with illegal dumping in Dublin

The authority called the increase “disappointing and unacceptable”.

19.3k

Apr 30th 2020, 6:10 AM

# climate action

Mandatory brown bin collections could be introduced under new waste strategy

The government will also examine expanding the range of items allowed in the green bin and banning bulky waste from landfill.

47.0k

Dec 30th 2019, 9:01 AM

# Illegal dumping

Map of legal waste collection companies launched in bid to tackle illegal dumping

Illegal dumping is a major problem for communities across the country.

11.1k

Nov 28th 2019, 5:31 PM

# recycling

Coffee cups to be hit with levy of up to 25 cent under new plastic crackdown plans

A levy on fast-food takeaway containers is also on the way.

28.7k

130

Updated

Nov 6th 2019, 9:02 AM

# Waste

Single-use plastics ban Bill aims to put biodegradable packaging on supermarket shelves

This Bill would leapfrog over the government’s strategy, which Fianna Fáil has said is slow to materialise.

13.6k

Oct 20th 2019, 7:00 AM

# big beach clean

This initiative is calling for people to clean up marine litter from Irish coasts this weekend

Events for the Big Beach Clean 2019 are happening around the country this weekend.

7.7k

Sep 21st 2019, 6:00 AM

# Your Say

Poll: Have you ever left your tent behind after a festival?

Last year, bulldozers were brought in to clear thousands of leftover tents after Electric Picnic.

25.6k

Aug 31st 2019, 9:15 AM

# no waste

Is it really possible to live a zero waste life? I tried for a week (and did a terrible job)

It is definitely possible to significantly reduce your day-to-day waste … but it’s harder than it sounds.

20.1k

Aug 30th 2019, 9:49 AM

# samantha ravndahl

Other influencers should follow Samantha Ravndahl's lead when it comes to accepting PR

Her reasoning for doing so is pretty sound.

7.3k

Nov 19th 2018, 6:12 PM

# Waste

'Communities will be united': Groups around Ireland to take part in World Cleanup Day

Next Saturday, groups who take part join together to clean up illegal waste in their local area.

10.2k

Sep 9th 2018, 4:00 PM

Voices

'Festival waste? It's not new - we're a disposable nation and we need to change our attitude'

Green Party Councillor Claire Byrne knows all about trying to keep festival sites clean – and says we need to stop seeing tents as disposable, and look at what we can do to clean up after ourselves.

25.8k

Sep 8th 2018, 4:00 PM

# Environment

Thousands of tents left behind at Electric Picnic campsite cleared by bulldozers

One festival attendee said that there was “millions of euro worth of stuff left behind”.

84.4k

Sep 3rd 2018, 9:45 PM

Voices

'Compostable cup for your coffee sound good? It all depends on where it ends up'

Recyclable and compostable options are only truly beneficial if they end up, and are processed, in the correct waste facility, writes industry expert Brian O’Sullivan.

26.0k

Aug 14th 2018, 7:00 AM

# plastic waste

The global war on plastic has left manufacturers rethinking their straw productions

Eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the Earth’s oceans and seas each year.

17.6k

Jul 8th 2018, 12:00 PM

# Funding

County breakdown: Here's how much is being spent tackling illegal dumping

An anti-dumping initiative supported 229 projects across the country last year.

22.8k

Mar 18th 2018, 9:00 PM

# Ringaskiddy

Decision on €160 million Cork incinerator deferred for a tenth time

An Bord Pleanala says a decision will be made within three months.

8.8k

Feb 27th 2018, 12:22 PM

# Rubbish

'Why are you throwing away so many chips?': How east Cork is tackling its food waste

A new initiative is helping businesses move towards a zero food waste strategy.

30.3k

Feb 4th 2018, 8:00 AM

# final straw

Waste, turtles, and money: Why Irish pubs and cafés are ditching plastic straws

We talked to them to find out more about the reasons behind the decision.

42.8k

Feb 3rd 2018, 7:00 AM

# Gotcha

Prosecutions for illegal dumping expected after covert CCTV operations in Wicklow and Dublin

These operations were run by the Pure project, which has been running for the last ten years.

23.9k

Jan 28th 2018, 7:30 AM

Voices

'We need reverse vending machines in shops with a 25c deposit on containers'

As a kid I remember collecting old Cidona bottles from the hedgerows and receiving five pence from the local shop for each one that I returned, writes Ciarán Cuffe.

21.1k

Jan 6th 2018, 9:00 AM