NIRN Perspectives: Waste Management Review NI

Cost is often cited as a reason preventing the transition to a circular economy.Organisations and businesses say that expense is a barrier halting them from taking the first steps to move from a linear economy (built on a make – use – dispose model) to a circular economy (that keeps resources in use for as long as possible).

The new report published by Northern Ireland Audit Office at the start of this month shines a light on this misconception. Released on the 4th July 2024, the new report, entitled ‘Review of Waste Management in Northern Ireland’ talks about the importance of effectively managing waste not only for the health of our environment, reducing pollution and carbon emissions, but also for our social welfare and economic benefit.

The headline stat in the report is that, collectively, the 11 local councils in Northern Ireland, councils spent £170 million collecting, processing, disposing waste in the years 2021 – 2022. Waste is, by far, the largest spend of a council, and with almost 1 million tonnes of household and commercial waste collected by councils in Northern Ireland from 2022 to 2023, it’s not hard to see why.

The amount of waste generated in Northern Ireland across households and sectors not only raises a huge question mark over future available landfill capacity, but also over the money that will be needed to treat and manage this waste correctly. The report reveals that the construction, demolition and excavation of waste is the one of the biggest generators of waste in Northern Ireland, estimated at 65%. It is also a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and reusable but surplus materials end up in landfill.

The cost of managing waste is not insignificant, which is why it is time to have a serious conversation about other readily available and improved options to manage our waste. The most obvious of which is waste prevention. The report identifies waste prevention as “the preferred method of waste management”, and states that this is achieved through “measures addressing product design, packaging reduction and lifestyle changes that minimise waste production.”

Looking at the cost effectiveness of packaging and waste production is certainly important, but Northern Ireland Resources Network also advocate looking at other pillars in the waste hierarchy: reuse and repair. Promoting and implementing reuse and repair activities reduces the cost of
disposing of products and the need to buy raw materials to make new ones. It challenges us to think about waste as resource, while also ensuring that we only work within the resources that we need.

There are also longer-term economic benefits of community-led reuse and repair initiatives, such as those associated with Northern Ireland Resources Network, because money and jobs are circulated and created within communities – like a form of community wealth building.

Northern Ireland’s next Waste Management Strategy is due to be published by
DAERA in 2024. Northern Ireland Resources Network look forward to an updated strategy finalised and published by DAERA as soon as possible. We would, particularly, welcome a Strategy that emphasises the value of reuse and repair in the context of waste management, and that embraces and helps to cultivate a reuse and repair sector in Northern Ireland.

Unlike mountains of waste needing to be managed and processed, reuse and repair activities don’t come at an extra cost for councils. This doesn’t result in loss of revenue for businesses, either. Investing reuse and repair will reduce our reliance on domestic landfill or processing capacity, prevent Northern Ireland from exporting our waste to other countries (councils currently export 260,000 tonnes of waste annually) and instead, allow us to create local jobs across the country and invest properly in communities.

Read the Northern Ireland Audit Office Report ‘Review of Waste Management
in Northern Ireland’ here:

https://www.niauditoffice.gov.uk/files/niauditoffice/documents/2024-
07/NI%20Audit%20Office%20Report%20-
%20Review%20of%20Waste%20Management%20in%20Northern%20Ireland.pdf