EPA Update
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland
Protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland.
Wondering about Ireland's water quality in 2023 or how we're addressing climate change risks
On June 12th the EPA published Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report.
The water indicators data found that there has been no overall improvement in the water quality of Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwaters in 2023. Some improvements are being made, but these are being offset by declines elsewhere. While there are initiatives happening nationally, measures to address water quality are not being implemented at the scale or pace required.
Explore the full report: https://bit.ly/4aSgXnu
The EPA is leading the development of Ireland’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA).
The risk assessment will be informed by the current understanding of projected impacts (from hazards such as heatwaves, flooding or drought) and consequences of climate change for Ireland. The approach will follow international best practice and be aligned to the European climate risk assessment (EUCRA) approach.
This major national resource will inform strategic adaptation priorities
As an important first step in this work, the EPA has just published the methodology for Ireland’s National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA).
This methodology has been developed through a wide engagement process in 2024 and outlines the approach for the development and delivery of the NCCRA. The NCCRA includes three stages; risk identification, risk assessment and urgency for adaptation prioritisation, underpinned by a preliminary stage on scoping and context.
Learn more on the Climate Ireland website: https://bit.ly/3RjPpAj
What happens to cars when they can’t be driven anymore?
Some 105,494 scrap vehicles were treated in Ireland in 2022. This means that the hazardous materials and reusable parts were removed, and then they were sent to a metal shredding facility (often abroad) for further processing and recycling. The EPA has published the End-of-Life Vehicles waste statistics for 2022 which show that Ireland continued to meet all reuse, recycling and recovery targets for end-of-life vehicles.
When end-of-life vehicles are not properly managed at authorised treatment facilities, hazardous materials (such as oil, fuel, and batteries) can contaminate land, surface water and groundwater.
Watch the video to find out more about this process and what you can do to help us continue to reuse, recycle and recover valuable material from end-of-life vehicles as part of Ireland’s transition to a circular economy
Read the full EPA data release on End-of-Life Vehicles: bit.ly/3zyeSLW
Do you know how much radiation you are exposed to? The EPA and HIQA - Health Information and Quality Authority published a new assessment in June of the average radiation doses received by the Irish population. People in Ireland receive a slightly higher average radiation dose than the European average, mainly due to radon exposure in the home and in the workplace. Here are a few key takeaways:
?? Nearly 60% of the dose is due to the radioactive gas Radon in indoor air, with over 8% coming from exposure to another radioactive gas, Thoron. Radon is a major cause of lung cancer – but you can protect yourself by getting your home tested.
?? 10% of the average dose comes from medical exposures, mainly from medical imaging. This is less than the dose reported in 2014. This is due to improvements which reduced patient exposure and increased access to new and improved medical imaging.
? 9% comes from cosmic radiation coming from the sun and outer space, of which 2% is due to exposure received if flying.
?? 7% comes from our food and drinking water.
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? less than 1% of overall exposure to radioactivity comes from discharges from nuclear facilities abroad, fallout from historic nuclear weapons testing and past nuclear accidents. Explore the report further bit.ly/3KXyDDJ
Why is it important to properly dispose of waste tyres?
Waste tyres pose a threat to air quality, land, soil, water, plants and animals if they are not managed properly.
The EPA’s latest data release shows that a total of 62,931 tonnes of waste tyres were collected and treated in Ireland in 2022 – a 43% increase from the previous reporting year in 2020.
A large majority of these waste tyres (93%) were exported for final treatment abroad in 2022. This represents an increase from 81% in 2020, indicating an increased reliance on export for treatment of waste tyres in Ireland.
The most common final treatment operation was converting waste to energy (energy recovery) (61%), followed by recycling (35%). Take a look at the diagram to see the treatment routes which waste tyres followed once collected in 2022.
Read the EPA Waste Tyre Statistics for Ireland 2022 on our website for more information: bit.ly/3VBpgOL
On June 27th, the EPA hosted a Food Waste Forum networking event for the food & drink sector, marking a year since the Food Waste Charter launched.
Efforts to reduce food waste
There are currently 37 members of the Food Waste Charter. They include 19 manufacturing & processing businesses, 5 retail businesses and 13 restaurant and food services business. You can find out more about these businesses and learn more about how your business can sign up here. https://lnkd.in/eZ54mStf.
Ireland wasted 750,000 tonnes of food in 2022. That’s over 1 million meals each day.
The EPA has published the 2022 statistics for food waste in Ireland. The data shows that food waste in Ireland has not significantly decreased over the first three years of national reporting.
70%, or 530,000 tonnes, of food waste was generated by businesses and industries across the food supply chain.
Approximately 30%, or 220,000 tonnes of food waste, was generated from Irish households. This is an average of 120kg of food waste per household and is equivalent to throwing away €700 per household annually.
Follow the EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme for tips and advice on how to make the most of food at home and avoid food waste.
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