A 10-month desk study was carried out by consultants RPS as part of the ERTDI Programme 2000-2006 to address the issue of organic waste management at apartments in Ireland.

Organic waste (i.e. food and garden waste) constitutes the single largest component (~36%) of household waste. Irish waste management policy requires source separation of organic household waste to divert this material away from landfill to higher treatment options. The preferred sustainable option is to biologically treat organic waste and produce a valuable reusable end product, i.e. compost.

Governmental awareness-raising campaigns and increased participation in new source-separate waste collection schemes have seen a move away from the traditional method of disposal to landfill to recycling and recovery. In 2005, the pay-by-use system was introduced nationwide to encourage source segregation and to allow the waste management system to be equitable. Separate kerbside collection of mixed dry recyclables is now operating in all local authorities in Ireland although the level of coverage varies in each county.

For organic waste, four local authorities (Galway City and County and Waterford City and County Councils) have organic waste collection schemes established in the past few years for both single and multi-storey dwellings, and two Dublin local authorities (Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council) have recently commenced pilot schemes. For the most part, the organic waste collection schemes in Ireland serve single-dwelling houses with a very small number of apartment complexes included.

Main Findings

The separate collection of organic waste at apartments can often be overlooked, as there can be challenging issues at these dwellings associated with the storage, presentation and collection of this material. However, national and international studies show that when key considerations are taken into account at the earliest possible stage, the implementation of source-separated organic waste collections is possible from apartments. Successful organic waste collection is not always possible from all types of multi-storey dwellings in some areas.

The introduction of organic waste collection in apartments will help Ireland meet its targets to divert organic waste from landfill, and provide equal opportunity to those apartment residents who wish to source-separate waste as much as possible. The long-term environmental and financial gains of separating organic wastes and diverting

from landfill disposal will offset the initial start-up, implementation and scheme maintenance costs. Guidelines should be provided at national and local levels to aid developers, architects and property management to implement organic waste collections at apartments. Further research programmes should be supported by the appropriate funding and national decision-making bodies, and a pilot scheme should be undertaken to fully assess all of the issues.