Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Ireland’s hazardous waste generation has declined since 2019, but the EPA warns of limited domestic treatment capacity. Half of all hazardous waste is still exported. The mid-term review calls for urgent investment in infrastructure, expanded collection systems, and stronger producer responsibility to meet upcoming EU obligations by 2025.
A mid-term review of Ireland’s National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2021–2027, published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), shows that hazardous waste generation in Ireland has declined since peaking in 2019. However, the report also warns of ongoing challenges in domestic treatment capacity and calls for greater investment in infrastructure.
Hazardous waste includes materials that are toxic, corrosive, flammable, carcinogenic, or eco-toxic. Common sources include spent chemicals, contaminated soils, waste oils, solvents, batteries, veterinary medicines, and leftover household paints.
Correct management is essential to avoid risks to human health and the environment. Ireland’s National Plan provides a framework for improving prevention, collection, and treatment of these waste types, in line with EU waste legislation such as the Waste Framework Directive.
The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan aligns with Ireland’s wider circular economy strategy. It is coordinated through the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme, launched in 2021, which embeds hazardous waste actions within a broader strategy of waste prevention, resource efficiency, and sustainable growth.
Some broader context from EPA-wide stats that complement the hazardous waste narrative:
In 2022, Ireland still generated over 380,000 tonnes of hazardous waste, most of which came from industry (77%), followed by construction & demolition (15%), and municipal sources (8%).
Despite improvements in hazardous waste infrastructure, Ireland continues to rely heavily on exports; in 2022, 57% of hazardous waste was exported for treatment due to limited domestic capacity.
Contaminated soils remain a growing concern, while treatment of contaminated soils rose, nearly all were treated domestically, with less than 1% exported.
These figures underscore the importance of integrating hazardous waste policy within a circular economy framework. It’s not just about managing hazardous materials safely, it’s also about preventing them from entering the waste stream in the first place and promoting resource conservation, reuse, and national treatment capacity.
The key findings from the report includes a continued decline since 2019, infrastructure and treatment challenges, and that Ireland still exports half of its hazardous waste.
In 2023, Ireland generated 381,764 tonnes of hazardous waste.
This represents a significant drop from the 580,000 tonnes in 2019, and about 8,000 tonnes less than in 2022.
The reduction is largely due to lower levels of dredging and decreases in contaminated soils, according to the EPA.
Of the total hazardous waste generated in 2023:
192,467 tonnes were treated within Ireland.
189,298 tonnes were exported to other countries for treatment.
All exports complied with the Basel Convention, which regulates transboundary movements of hazardous waste.
Overall, the mid-term report points out that Ireland has an over-reliance on other countries to deal with treating recycling materials, general municipal, and hazardous wastes.
David Flynn, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, noted:
“Ireland exports half of its hazardous waste for treatment. We cannot continue to rely on other countries to treat significant quantities of hazardous wastes generated in Ireland.”
The review highlights limited domestic capacity to treat certain waste streams, including:
PFAS-contaminated soils
Waste oils
Solvents
Batteries
Progress on infrastructure has been slow, despite increasing hazardous waste generation in some sectors.
The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan focuses on:
Farm hazardous waste, such as spent sheep dip and unused veterinary products.
Surplus and expired medicines, with work ongoing to establish a national take-back scheme through pharmacies by 2026.
Household hazardous waste, including leftover chemicals, paints, and cleaning products.
National trials for farm hazardous waste collection and household hazardous waste days have been conducted.
A nationwide rollout of these collection systems is expected by 2025.
Warren Phelan, Programme Manager for the Circular Economy, stated:
“Sustained investment to ensure the durability and resilience of these systems is needed. Producers whose products result in hazardous wastes, such as paints, oils and farm chemicals, need to take greater responsibility, including funding for their safe management.”
As of January 2025, EU law requires separate collection of household hazardous waste. The EPA warns that Ireland must urgently enhance its infrastructure to meet this and other obligations under the EU Waste Framework Directive.
The agency emphasised the importance of:
Rigorous implementation of existing plans.
Increased investment in treatment infrastructure.
Greater producer responsibility for hazardous waste streams.
In October 2024, the EPA called for more funding and urgency, warning that Ireland continues to “play catch up” in its sustainability efforts.
While the decline in hazardous waste volumes since 2019 is a welcome development, the EPA’s review shows that systemic gaps remain in Ireland’s hazardous waste management system. Half of all hazardous waste is still exported, and domestic capacity to treat high-risk waste streams is limited.
The upcoming EU deadline in 2025 and national policy goals demand faster progress, especially in establishing take-back schemes, expanding collection systems, and investing in treatment infrastructure.
Without sustained commitment, Ireland risks falling short of its environmental obligations—despite clear progress in planning and public engagement.
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