Northern Ireland councils recycle almost half of all waste collected
Date published:
New accredited official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) present provisional estimates of Local Authority Collected (LAC) municipal waste management in Northern Ireland for October to December 2025.
Key findings
- Northern Ireland's councils collected 245,789 tonnes of waste between October and December 2025, higher than the 234,230 tonnes collected during the same quarter in 2024.
- The recycling rate for waste collected by councils was 49.3 per cent in October to December 2025, an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to October to December 2024 (47.8 per cent).
- The energy recovery rate reached 44.8 per cent in October to December 2025, the highest quarterly energy recovery rate ever recorded for Northern Ireland and an increase of 10.3 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2024 (34.5 per cent).
- The landfill rate for waste collected by councils was 4.2 per cent, which was a fall from the rate recorded during October to December 2024 (16.2 per cent). In the longer term, landfill rates decreased from 75.4 per cent recorded in October to December 2006.
- Household waste accounted for 87.0 per cent of all waste collected during the quarter. The household waste recycling rate was 49.8 per cent, up from 48.4 per cent in the same quarter of 2024, and the household waste landfill rate was 4.1 per cent, down from 16.0 per cent.
- All eleven councils reported an increase in total waste arisings compared to the same period in 2024. Belfast collected the most waste at 40,749 tonnes, while Fermanagh and Omagh collected the least at 14,562 tonnes.
About this publication
This publication reports provisional statistics on the key measurements of local authority collected municipal waste for all eleven councils and waste management groups in Northern Ireland. Its provides information on the quantities and rates of LAC waste arising, sent for preparing for reuse, for dry recycling, composting, energy recovery and sent to landfill. Provisional statistics for January to March 2026 are scheduled for publication in July 2026.
Further information
View the full report, data tables and background information: Northern Ireland local authority collected municipal waste management statistics October to December 2025 | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs