Consumers will soon be able to send out-of-service fridges and other electrical goods back to the original supplier free of charge under new EU regulations on electrical waste.
Under the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directives producers of electrical and electronic goods will be obliged to put in place systems to ensure such waste is collected and recycled by 2005.
Owners of electrical waste will be entitled to leave that waste back free of charge, either to the place of purchase or to other authorised collection points, according to the directive.
Some experts say the initiative will substantially increase the price of some products as producers will simply add on the cost of recycling to the consumer.
A Government taskforce has been set up to develop recommendations on how best to implement the directives.
Speaking at today's inaugural meeting of the taskforce, the Minister of Environment, Mr Martin Cullen said: "The downside of the technological revolution is the significant growth in electronic waste, now estimated at around 1.6 billion tonnes in the EU every year."
Mr Cullen said: "Electrical waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams. It is a source of valuable materials which can readily be recycled and which we must divert from landfill."
From January 2002 all domestic fridges and other white goods that are being discarded have to have CFCs removed. No longer can fridges be sent to landfill. Daubed as "fridge mountains", regional and city councils across the EU have had to stock pile huge numbers of these appliances.
