Municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland
Ireland: Municipal waste recycling rate was 33.96 Percentage in 2012. ▲ Rising
Municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland, 1995–2012
Source: OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland is 33.96 Percentage, measured in 2012.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 80.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland peaked at 34.71 Percentage in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7.89 Percentage, in 1996.
Ireland ranks 4th of 31 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 8 Percentage | — |
| 1996 | 7.89 Percentage | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 8.55 Percentage | +8.4% |
| 1998 | 8.33 Percentage | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 9.6 Percentage | +15.3% |
| 2000 | 10.74 Percentage | +11.8% |
| 2001 | 11.93 Percentage | +11.2% |
| 2002 | 18.78 Percentage | +57.4% |
| 2003 | 25.05 Percentage | +33.4% |
| 2004 | 30.9 Percentage | +23.3% |
| 2005 | 32.31 Percentage | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 34.33 Percentage | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 34.06 Percentage | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 31.47 Percentage | -7.6% |
| 2009 | 31.93 Percentage | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 34.71 Percentage | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 33.66 Percentage | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 33.96 Percentage | +0.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 33.96 Percentage is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.24 Percentage, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 33.96 Percentage is above the median for high income countries, which is 26.13 Percentage, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.47 Percentage | 7.89 Percentage | 9.6 Percentage | 5 |
| 2000s | 26.15 Percentage | 10.74 Percentage | 34.33 Percentage | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.11 Percentage | 33.66 Percentage | 34.71 Percentage | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More environment data for Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland?
- Municipal waste recycling rate in Ireland was 33.96 Percentage in 2012, according to OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 34.71 Percentage in 2010.
- What is the lowest municipal waste recycling rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.89 Percentage in 1996.
- How does Ireland rank for municipal waste recycling rate?
- Ireland ranks 4th out of 31 countries with data for 2012.
- Is municipal waste recycling rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2018) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal waste recycling rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 18 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (including household) waste recycling rates, measured as the percentage of total waste generated that is recycled.