The total volume of waste collected by the north’s 11 councils fell last winter, official figures show.
A total of 230,755 tonnes of waste was collected between October and December 2022. 5.7 per cent less than the same quarter in 2021.
It was the lowest volume collected during that quarter since 2016.
Waste collection services across the north were disrupted by industrial action last year, but much of the strike action was suspended by the start of October.
The data published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on Thursday showed 54,000 tonnes of the waste collected during the final quarter of 2022, or 23.4 per cent, ended up in landfill.
That was back to levels seen in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 and 2020. There was a significant spike in waste being landfilled in late 2021, with just over 73,000 tonnes sent to landfill in Q4 2022.
DAERA said the landfill rate had been 75 per cent in 2006.
Some 48 per cent of waste collected by the 11 councils in the final three months of 2022 was sent for recycling.
Most of the remainder (26.9 per cent), was sent for energy recovery.
DAERA’s report identified Ards & North Down; Mid & East Antrim; and Fermanagh & Omagh as the councils with the worst landfill rates late last year.
By contrast, Mid Ulster; Newry, Mourne & Down; Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon; and Derry City & Strabane, sent just a small portion of waste collected to landfill.
Belfast collected the most waste at 38,027 tonnes, whilst Fermanagh and Omagh collected the least at 13,022 tonnes.
Belfast also had the lowest recycling rate of the 11 councils.
