Food Waste Recycling Bin (Brown Wheelie Bin)
On average, every household in Ireland throws away 117kgs of food waste every year. That’s between €400 and €1,000 thrown into the bin. Food waste is not just a waste of money, it is bad for the environment. Food waste sent to landfill does not harmlessly break down but instead releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
We can all plan ahead to prevent food waste in the first instance. However, some food waste is unavoidable (e.g. banana skins and animal bones). Food waste doesn’t have to end up in landfill. It can be recycled by using your food waste recycling bin (normally a brown bin).
All households living in a population agglomeration of greater than 500 people are entitled to a food waste recycling service from their waste collector. Households with a kerbside collection for food waste can simply separate food and leave the bin out as part of your normal collection. The food waste will be sent to a composting site or to a sustainable anaerobic digestion plant.
To check if you live within an area entitled to have a food waste recycle bin service, please visit the WERLA website (link to map) or contact your waste collection company.