Household waste disposal

You must choose a private company in your area for the collection and disposal of your household rubbish bins.

Waste is collected by these private companies every week or two, depending on the type of waste. Some companies collect different types of rubbish on different days.

If you live in a rural area with a low population, you may not have a collection service. In this case, you must bring your domestic waste to an approved waste facility in your area.

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. Burning household waste in your garden or home is illegal. Read more about littering and dumping.

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.

Wheelie bins

Your bin company may give you several wheelie bins, with each bin taking 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 must 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?

Nearly every home in Ireland is given a brown bin, except in some remote areas where a separate brown bin collection would be difficult. 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 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.

From 1 September 2023, there is a waste recovery levy of €10 per tonne and a €10 increase to the existing "landfill levy" to €85 per tonne. This is paid by your refuse collection company, but it may mean an increase in the fees paid by you. Check with your waste company to see if there is an increase to the cost of collecting your bins.

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 or 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 will be 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 bulk 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.