In Dublin there are different mechanisms available to householders for the recycling of waste including household wheelie bins, bring banks and recycling centres.

Household Waste Collection Services

Kerbside waste collections are available in the Dublin region for mixed household waste (grey/black bin) and for dry recyclables (green bin).  Mixed household waste is predominantly operated by the Dublin Local Authorities and the majority of householders in the region avail of this service.

Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County Council  also operate a dry recyclables collection in conjunction with Greyhound Recycling. Private waste companies operate the dry recyclables collections in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown. Householders can recycle all plastics, card, paper, newspapers, magazines, Tetrapak, aluminium cans and food tins through their green bin.  The collection service has been rolled out to over 300,000 householders and continues to grow.

Initially the system of kerbside recycling was limited to dwellings that had space for a wheeled bin. This has changed with the introduction of green bags for apartments and terraced houses. As part of the waste collection systems operating in Dublin there is a Waste Charging System in place which operates on a pay by use basis. This pay by use initiative aims to encourage recycling in the region and therefore reduce the level of waste going to final disposal.

Recycling Centres and Bring Banks

Householders in Dublin can also recycle lots of other household items using the network of bring banks, community bring centres and recycling centres across the Region.  
 
There are  8 fully operational recycling centres in the Dublin Region, 10 Community Bring Centres, over 346 Bring Banks,  as well as 5 Green Waste Collection Facilities.

Other Recycling Services

Other systems in place for recycling include hazardous waste collection and centres that accept hazardous waste such as mobile phones, batteries, medicines etc. Bulky waste is also collected at various times throughout the year. Bulky waste can also be deposited at some recycling centres.

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) can also be deposited at recycling centres. Shops will take WEEE back on a like for like basis.

The Dublin Waste Awareness website www.DublinWaste.ie  provides information in relation to the address/location of waste recycling facilities around the region.

Through the integrated recycling services available to householders in Dublin, the total amount of waste recycled in 2007 was over 132,000 tonnes. A breakdown of the tonnages and associated service is outlined below:

Household Waste Recycling Service Total In Dublin 

• Bring Banks 27,484
• Recycling Centres & Green Composting 31,040 
• Kerbside green bin 69,172
• Kerbside brown bin 4,617
• Mobile Hazardous 19 
• Total Recycled 132,332

Some of the proposals for improving household recycking in the Region include:

The expansion of the household kerbside collection of waste in the Dublin region for recycling will continue. The quantity of material collected will expand through ongoing public information and the introduction of new material collections such as plastics.

It is proposed to extend the working hours of the existing recycling centres in the Region and to have at least 12 full-scale Recycling Centres operating in the Region by 2010.

• Local Authorities will continue to expand the range of bring centres, especially in industrial and commercial developments at the planning stage. This will include the use of underground banks with 111 new bring centres proposed for the region. All new residential developments will be planned in accordance with recycling objectives.
  
• A new brown bin collection for organic waste has been rolled out in Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council with proposals to follow for the rest of the region. 
  
• Undertaking trails with underground bins in the Region will be addresses as a priority.
  
• Environmental Awareness Officers will continue to run local and regional awareness campaigns.
  
• The information campaign (www.DublinWaste.ie) will continue to provide information on recycling and improve information which will include mapping.
  

In the Dublin Region there is one dedicated Green Waste Processing Facility in operation which is Esker Lane, Lucan operated by South Dublin County Council with a capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes/annum.  This facility may be located to an alternative location in the County in the future.    

There are currently 4 Green Waste Collection Facilities operated by Dublin City Council available to householders including:  

• Oscar Traynor Road, Coolock Bring Centre
• Rathmines Waste Management Bring Centre,
• Tolka Valley Park (Saturdays Only)
• Windmill Rd (Crumlin) Bring Centre 

In addition a number of the existing recycling centres in the Region also accept green waste and include:

• Balleally Recycling Centre (Fingal County Council)
• Estuary Recycling Centre
• Ballymount Recycling Centre (South Dublin County Council)
• Ballyogan Recycling Centre (Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council)
• Esker Lane (South Dublin County Council)  

There are currently plans implemented for the introduction of two biowaste facilities at Ballyogan and at Kilshane. Both facilities are expected to become available in 2009.

A number of private waste collection companies are employing mechanical pre-processing (shredding, screening) of mixed commercial waste collected in the Dublin Region, which enables the ‘fines’ to be separated and sent to off-site facilities, typically composting sites outside the Dublin Region.  

Private company Greenstar has received planning permission and a waste licence for an organic waste treatment facility for commercial waste at Ballycoolin in Fingal. The capacity is up to 50,000 tonnes/annum. This company is already collecting some source separated commercial organics for treatment at a facility in County Kildare. Further composting capacity is under planning by private companies A1 Waste, Bord Na Mona, Thornton Waste and McGill Environmental in the counties neighbouring Dublin.

• The following are the key objectives with the Dublin Waste Plan for the future processing of green waste and biological treatment in the Region.The long term aim for Green Waste Processing Facilities in Co Dublin requires a capacity for 50,000 – 80,000 tonnes. Local authorities plan to consider this developing for this capacity and encourage the private sector.
• Green waste will be co-treated at the Ballyogan biowaste facility, and the additional space may be used for compost storage/ maturation.  The development of reception facilities for green waste is required. This capacity may be developed alongside, or as part of, Recycling Centres
   
• The Local Authority aims to encourage prevention and minimisation, including home composting, collection point and to assess the capacity of composting facilities.