Municipal waste recycled in Ireland

Ireland: Municipal waste recycled was 1.31 million tonnes in 2020. β–² Rising

Latest (2020)
1.31 million tonnes
Change on year
up 13.6%
World rank
29th
of 84 countries
All-time high
1.31 million tonnes
in 2020
All-time low
271,000 tonnes
in 2000
Years of data
19
2000–2020

Municipal waste recycled in Ireland, 2000–2020

250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M2000201020202000: 271.0k tonnes2001: 306.0k tonnes2002: 497.0k tonnes2003: 690.0k tonnes2004: 885.0k tonnes2005: 946.0k tonnes2006: 1.1M tonnes2007: 1.2M tonnes2008: 1.1M tonnes2009: 990.0k tonnes2010: 1.0M tonnes2011: 1.0M tonnes2012: 985.0k tonnes2014: 1.0M tonnes2016: 1.1M tonnes2017: 1.1M tonnes2018: 1.1M tonnes2019: 1.2M tonnes2020: 1.3M tonnes

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2020, municipal waste recycled in Ireland stood at 1.31 million tonnes. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 13.6% on the previous year and up 28.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, municipal waste recycled in Ireland peaked at 1.31 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 271,000 tonnes, in 2000.

That places Ireland 29th out of 84 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 794,800 tonnes 271,000 tonnes 1.16 million tonnes 10
2010s 1.07 million tonnes 985,000 tonnes 1.15 million tonnes 8
2020s 1.31 million tonnes 1.31 million tonnes 1.31 million tonnes 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 26 Belarus 1.41 million tonnes compare
  2. 27 Hungary 1.38 million tonnes compare
  3. 28 Oman 1.36 million tonnes
  4. 30 Slovakia 1.29 million tonnes compare
  5. 31 Finland 1.17 million tonnes compare
  6. 32 Kuwait 1.15 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 88 places β†’

More environment data for Ireland

All data for Ireland β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is municipal waste recycled in Ireland?
Municipal waste recycled in Ireland was 1.31 million tonnes in 2020, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest municipal waste recycled recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.31 million tonnes in 2020.
What is the lowest municipal waste recycled recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 271,000 tonnes in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for municipal waste recycled?
Ireland ranks 29th out of 84 countries with data for 2020.
Is municipal waste recycled rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 28.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Municipal waste recycled in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/municipal-waste-recycled-tonnes/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Municipal waste recycled (Tonnes)
Unit
tonnes
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
88 places, 1,491 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed