Ireland’s rate of recycling waste electronic and electrical equipment goods continues to outperform the rest of Europe, according to figures released today by the body that oversees electrical recycling.
Marking the third anniversary of the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Weee) directive, it was revealed by Weee Ireland today that 9kg of electronic waste per person was collected and recycled during 2007 – over double the annual 4kg target set for Ireland by the EU.
Under the scheme, producers selling electronic or electrical equipment take responsibility for the treatment and recycling of waste electrical and electronic appliances.
Consumers pay 1 to 3 per cent extra on the cost of products and have the option of returning the old item to the retailer for recycling.
Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland said: “The collection and recycling results of old electronic equipment over the last three years show that significant volumes of material have now safely been recycled and diverted from landfill.”
Over 21 million old or broken electrical items or approximately 100,000 tonnes of electronic waste - have been collected and recycled by the scheme since 2005.
Weee Ireland will shortly announce details of a new scheme which will oblige retail outlets which sell batteries to accept the same type of waste batteries back from consumers.
According to Weee Ireland figures, it is estimated that over 2,000 tonnes of portable batteries are sold in Ireland each year – with most being discarded in rubbish bins or hoarded instead of being recycled due to their small size.
“Recycling levels of larger items such as fridges and cookers have been very good however the take back of smaller items such as adapters, chargers, cables and headphones could be much better,” Mr Donovan said.
“People tend to hoard these items and forget about them. Therefore we would encourage people to clear out the drawers, attics and sheds and bring all old equipment including batteries to their local recycling centre.”
“Overall Ireland is performing well above EU targets and we are delighted with the results to date however, recycling levels could be improved even further“, he concluded