Northern ​Ireland's Problem with Illegal ​Dumping Of ​Waste

Fly-tipping, litter and the Illegal dumping of waste are among the biggest environmental concerns for households in Northern Ireland, according to new statistics.

 Recycling will continue to be a major focus of Northern Ireland’s waste management strategy with a target of 60% for household recycling by 2020 ; Source: Beacon

The “Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report”, published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), shows the overall level of public concern for the environment decreased since its peak in 2008/08 (at 82%) and now sits below 2003/04 (76%) level at 68% for 2015/16.

The top environmental concern (37%) for of households in the country is the Illegal dumping of waste.

30% considered the pollution of rivers to be the highest concern, 25% litter, 25% climate change and 24% traffic congestion.

In Northern Ireland, the total amount of local authority collected (LAC) municipal waste arisings has declined by 8.9% between 2006/07 and 2015/16.

In 2015/16, 42.2% of household waste was sent for recycling (including reuse and composting) and 41.8% of LAC municipal waste was sent for recycling. Of this, 22% was recycled, 20% composted and 0.1% reused.

The findings in this report are based on the most recently available data at the time of publication for each indicator, and most provide data on trends over time and, where applicable, performance against quantified targets.

Air and climate

• In 2015/16, 1,987 GWh of electricity in Northern Ireland was generated from indigenous renewable sources. This was equivalent to 25.5% of total electricity consumption in that period.

Water

• Industrial discharge quality has improved in recent years with compliance rates in 2015 of 75% and 95% for private sewage and trade effluent respectively.
• Water pollution incidents are investigated by NIEA. In 2015 there were 1,745 incidents reported to NIEA or discovered by NIEA during inspections, of which 978 (56%) were substantiated (confirmed) as having an impact on the water quality of the receiving waterway. Of these 14% were considered to be of High or Medium Severity.

Marine

• Based on 2013 –2016 data, 11 of the 23 beaches (48%) monitored in Northern Ireland met the ‘excellent’ standard while nine beaches (39%) met the ‘good’ standard. Two beaches (9%) were classified as ‘sufficient’ and one as ‘poor’.
• Two out of nine designated shellfish water protected areas (SWPAs) complying with the Water Framework Directive guideline E.Coli standard in Shellfish Flesh in 2016.

Land

• Forests and woodlands provide important habitats, natural resources and diversity to landscapes. In 2016/17, 208 hectares of new woodland was created by private landowners supported under the Rural Development Programme. This is up from 54 hectares in 2015/16.

Read more: CIWM

Media

Taxonomy

• Water Pollution
• Effluent
• Sewage
• Groundwater Pollution
• Environmental Impact
• Waste Disposal
• Waste Disposal
• Effluent Water
• Waste Management