Where does my waste go?
We use varying facilities around the country to transfer, sort and dispose of your different wastes.
Black Bin: Much of your black bin ends up as fuel for the waste-to-energy facilities (Covanta is one in Dublin and there is another owned by Indaver in Meath). A small amount can end up in landfills in Meath or Wicklow i.e. when there are capacity issues in the first two.
Green Bin: Your green bin material collected and then sent to the Dublin Regional Materials Recovery Facility. Here it is sorted in to its component parts i.e. cardboard, paper, plastics, steel and aluminium. These materials are in turn shipped to proper recycling facilities (in Ireland, the UK, Europe and Asia). However, up to 40% of the green bin material we collect is dirty or contaminated – so, often that is used as a replacement fuel for cement kilns in Ireland and occasionally as a fuel for the waste to energy facility in Poolbeg.
Brown Bin: Your brown bin material is composted in Ireland (there are numerous small plants dotted throughout the country). Most often, these plants use Anaerobic Digestion to turn the organic material into compost with a bi-product (methane) used to run small turbines which have the added advantage of generating electricity. Again, there can be contamination issues with this material which means a portion of it can end up as fuel for waste to energy or as landfill material.
