In built-up areas, the most pressing environmental concern is the increasing volume of solid waste being generated by the growing number of household and commercial establishments. The per capita waste generation is rising as more Irosinians adopt a consumerist lifestyle and prefer disposable or single-use products and non-biodegradable packaging materials. A waste characterization study in 2002 showed that about 86% by weight of solid waste from households is organic materials, approximately 10% is recyclable and only 4% is residual waste. The study showed that 96% of solid waste from households is recoverable resource and only a small fraction is fit for final disposal.
The LGU of Irosin has over the years been implementing programs for solid waste management and urban area beautification. In urban centers, a team of street sweepers is tasked with the cleaning, greening and beautification of the Central Business District, municipal streets, urban recreational spaces, civil cemetery and the public market. Collection and transport of solid waste are provided in the urban barangays and three rural barangays by a fleet of LGU garbage trucks. A final disposal facility is maintained at a 3-hectare site in Barangay Patag Ecological Park. In terms of practice of disposal by households in 2013, 29.8% are collected by municipal and barangay LGUs, 9.1% are by storage, 51.4% by composting, 6% is by open dumping and 3.5% is by open burning.