Waste management and illegal disposal in Northern Ireland

A baseline evidence assessment for the Office of Environmental Protection (OEP)

The Office for Environmental Protection aims to enhance the environment by holding authorities accountable. To support the OEP in its work, Resource Futures assessed waste management and illegal disposal in Northern Ireland, covering environmental and public health impacts, legal responsibilities, waste flows, and best practices.

This report highlights the pressures waste management places on ecosystems and public health, gaps in monitoring and reporting, and risks of landfill capacity being reached.

Among the findings in the report:

• Most waste is handled locally, but transboundary flows are increasing;
• Significant waste is sent directly to landfill without sorting, and there are gaps in data and infrastructure, especially for emerging waste streams;
• Northern Ireland lags in updating waste laws, with low ambition in waste strategies and targets, leading to a faltering waste programme compared to other regions;
• Improved monitoring, reporting, and data collection are needed to enhance waste management and disposal in Northern Ireland.

Read and download the full report here: