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Wheelie bin collection services were the most used method for disposing of non-recyclable waste in 2024 with 80% of Irish households using the services, which was the same number of households as 2021.
In 2024, only 1% of Irish households did not recycle their recyclable waste.
Food waste was composted at home by 13% of households in 2024.
More than a fifth (22%) of households in 2024 purchased 11 to 50 items of second-hand clothing from a second-hand shop.
Noise pollution from road traffic was the cause of irritation for 30% of 17–34-year-olds in 2024
The number of households that tested their home for radon was 11% in 2024 which was similar to the number recorded in 2021 (12%).
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (11 July 2025) published Household Environmental Behaviours - Waste and Recycling 2024.
This release looks at households’ circular economy and analyses how households reuse and dispose of items, and how noise and radon pollution affect households. The circular economy is a system that focuses on reducing waste, reusing products, and recycling materials to keep resources in use for as long as possible.
Commenting on the release, Tadhg O’Shaughnessy, Statistician in the Sustainability and Circular Economy Division, said:
“Our aim for this release was to get a better understanding of how households dispose of their waste, to identify sources of irritating noise pollution, examine household radon testing, and to understand if households purchased second-hand items across 2024.
Waste Disposal and Re-Use Habits
Four in five (80%) households disposed of non-recyclable waste using a wheelie bin collection service in 2024. This number did not change from the previous Household Environmental Behaviours release in 2021.
In rural areas, 17% of households brought non-recyclable waste to a recycling centre in 2024, compared with 6% of households in urban areas. The situation for recyclable waste was broadly similar with 79% of households using a wheelie bin collection service. Our data showed only 1% of households did not recycle any of their recyclable waste in 2024.
Food waste was disposed of in a greater variety of ways with the main ones as follows: 52% of households put it in the organic (brown) bin for collection, 22% put it in the general waste bin, 13% composted it at home, and 9% fed it to animals. Among different dwelling types, 49% of residents living in purpose-built flats or apartments reported disposing of their food waste in the general waste bin, the highest proportion by dwelling type, followed by 21% of households in terraced houses. Households in semi-detached houses reported the least use of the general waste bin for disposing of food waste at 16%.
Garden waste was more likely to be composted at home than food waste, with 37% of households using the organic bin and 37% composting it. Two-thirds (67%) of rural households composted garden waste compared with 21% of urban households.
Clothing was the most common type of item to be reused in 2024, with a quarter (25%) of households having bought or received clothing by a private gift, donation, or clothes swap. Three in four (75%) males did not buy a second-hand clothing item in a second-hand shop or marketplace compared with 62% of females.
Nearly one in ten (9%) households received or bought one to ten small electronic items as a private gift, donation, or swap.
Noise Pollution and Radon Exposure
Looking at noise pollution, 62% of households did not report any irritating noise pollution, however, for households who did experience irritation, the main source of noise pollution was from road traffic. Noise pollution from road traffic accounted for 18% of households, 14% from the noise pollution of dogs, and 10% from neighbouring houses. Owner-occupied households experienced lower levels of noise pollutioin, with 63% reporting no noise pollution sufficient to cause irritation, compared with 51% of rented households.
Three in ten (30%) 17–34-year-olds experienced irritating noise pollution from road traffic, compared with 18% across all age groups.
Our findings found that 11% of households that were surveyed, tested for radon in 2024, with 9% of those tested being above the reference level for radon. One in five (20%) households in the West region (Galway, Mayo, Roscommon) tested for radon, compared with less than one in twenty (4%) households in Dublin."