Household waste disposal

You must choose a private company in your area to collect and get rid of the rubbish in your household rubbish bins.

These private companies collect rubbish every week or two, depending on the type of waste. Some companies collect different types of rubbish on different days.

Dumping household waste

It is an offence to put your household waste in street litter bins. If you do this, you may be prosecuted by the local authority.

It is also illegal to burn household waste in your garden or home.

Our page on littering and dumping has more about this.

Your local authority can advise you on waste disposal and recycling facilities in your area.

Your household waste can be collected in different ways, so you should check this with your bin collector.

Your bin collector should give you a system for storing and collecting your waste. This can include:

• Wheelie bins
• Bin bags with pre-paid tags or labels
• Communal bin systems

Wheelie bins

Your bin company may give you several wheelie bins. Each wheelie bin takes a different type of waste. For example, the green bin may take recyclable waste. Read more about separating household rubbish below.

Waste bags and tags

If you do not have wheelie bins, your waste company may use specific bin bags or bin tags that you can buy.

If they use tags, you attach a pre-paid tag to each bag. If you do not use the specific bag or add a tag to your bin bag, your waste will not be collected.

Your waste collector will tell you where to buy the bags or tags.

Communal bin system

Depending on where you live, you may have a kerb-side collection or a communal bin system.

If you live in an apartment or a housing development with a management company, you may have shared waste facilities.

You must be able to prove you have access to and use these facilities.

Waste collecting companies usually have a colour-coded system for separating household waste, for example:

• Brown bins for organic waste
• Green bins for recyclable waste
• Black bins are for general waste

Some companies may also offer a glass recycling collection.

Find more information on what to do with your household waste on mywaste.ie.

What is organic waste?

Your bin collection company must give you a brown bin and arrange to collect your brown bin. This applies to all households in Ireland, except households on offshore islands. If your bin company does not give you a brown bin, you should contact the waste management unit in your local authority.

Composting

All organic or ‘brown bin’ waste should be compostable. Composting is the natural way of recycling organic material. It helps to cut down on household waste and you can use the compost in your garden. Read more about composting.

You can also find information on disposing of food waste on stopfoodwaste.ie.

What is recyclable waste?

Most of your household waste can be recycled, for example, plastic bottles, tin cans, and paper. All items should be clean, dry and placed loosely in the recycling bin.

Read more about recycling household waste.

What is the Deposit Return Scheme?

When you buy a drink in a container with the Re-turn logo, you are charged a small refundable deposit. You can claim this back by returning the empty container.

This bottle and can recycling system is known as the Deposit Return Scheme. You can get your deposit by returning your containers as long as they are empty and undamaged.

Read more about the Deposit Return Scheme.

What is general rubbish?

Your general waste includes items that cannot be recycled or composted and must be sent to landfill.

You should check if your rubbish can be recycled or go to organic waste. General rubbish is sometimes called ‘black bin’ waste.

There is a waste recovery levy of €10 per tonne and a "landfill levy" of €85 per tonne. These levies are paid by your refuse collection company, but are often covered by the fees paid by you.

You can read more on our page on landfill sites.

There are no flat rate fees for household waste collections.

Your bin company will either:

• Calculate the cost of collecting your rubbish by its weight
• Charge you for each bin collection (this is called a ’per lift charge’)

Some contracts may have a combination of the two.

Bin collection fees and charging structures (the way the company charges you) are different depending on which private bin company you choose.

You should shop around for a service that best suits your needs.

Fees at recycling centres and landfill sites

You can also dispose of certain types of waste for free at your local Bring Bank, for example, glass and aluminium and tin cans.

Some recycling centres may charge a small entry fee.

You may be charged extra for certain items, such as mattresses or carpets, or for large amounts of rubbish. Recycling centres are also called Civic Amenity Sites.

If you use a landfill site, there are entry charges for cars and car trailers. Ask about fees at the recycling centre or landfill site or check your local authority’s website.

You cannot leave bulky items such as carpets, furniture or fridges out for the regular bin collection.

If you have a lot of rubbish to get rid of, you can hire a skip from a private waste collection company.

You can also bring bulky waste to civic amenity centres or landfill sites.

Your local authority may offer bulky waste collections and will advertise this service when it happens.

Find information on disposing of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

The Government has made commitments on household waste disposal in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (pdf).

MyWaste.ie is Ireland’s official guide to managing your waste.

You can read information and an assessment about Ireland's waste disposal on the Environmental Protection Agency website.