Mayo households help drive 70 percent surge in brown bin use nationwide
National Food Waste Recycling Week highlights growing commitment to food waste recycling across Mayo and Ireland
Households and businesses across Mayo are being encouraged to continue making full use of their brown bins as new figures reveal a significant increase in food waste recycling nationwide.
The appeal comes as National Food Waste Recycling Week 2026 gets underway, with MyWaste, Ireland’s official waste management guide, reporting that brown bin presentation rates have risen to 70% nationally.
Preliminary data from the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO) shows that more than 1.4 million households across Ireland are now using brown bins.
Between 2024 and 2025, access to brown bin services increased by 10%, while presentation rates rose by a further 3%.
The figures indicate strong participation from households in both urban and rural areas, including apartments and other housing types, with communities across counties such as Mayo playing an important role in the continued growth of food waste recycling.
National Food Waste Recycling Week, now in its fifth year, aims to raise awareness of best practices for managing food waste and reducing contamination in brown bins. The campaign is also promoting the importance of presenting brown bins regularly, even when they are only partially full.
MyWaste has also announced journalist and sustainability advocate Jo Linehan as its official brand ambassador for 2026.
Pauline McDonogh, Circular Economy Co-ordinator at MyWaste, said the latest figures demonstrate the positive progress being made nationwide.
“National Food Waste Recycling Week is a chance to recognise the progress that has been made in brown bin roll-out and use across Ireland,” she said. “Hundreds of thousands of brown bins are now being presented for collection every year, which is a very positive sign of how far we have come.”
“There is still more to do, and this year’s campaign is about building on that success, making sure food waste is sorted correctly, contamination is prevented, and brown bins are presented regularly so the system works as well as it can.”
MyWaste says correctly sorted food waste can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost and renewable biomethane energy, helping Ireland reduce waste and move towards a more sustainable circular economy.
Accepted items for brown bins include fruit and vegetable peelings, cooked and raw meat and fish, eggshells, coffee grounds, plate scrapings and food-soiled paper such as napkins and pizza box bases. Light garden waste, including grass clippings and dead plants, can also be recycled through the service.
However, residents are reminded to keep contaminants such as plastic, glass, metal, food packaging, stones and rubble out of brown bins to ensure high-quality compost and energy production.
As part of the campaign, households and businesses in Mayo are being encouraged to use certified compostable liners, present their bins regularly and remain vigilant about contamination.
Further information, including a full A-Z guide to brown bin recycling, is available from MyWaste.