RECYCLING
Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland (photo credit: Paul Moore).
IRELAND’S CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS ACT CAME INTO FORCE IN MAY, REQUIRING 25% OF CRITICAL AND STRATEGIC MATERIALS TO BE SOURCED FROM RECYCLING SYSTEMS WITHIN EUROPE BY 2030… WEEE Ireland calls for further reduction of e-waste
While Ireland recycled a record volume of electronic and electrical waste in 2023, more critical raw materials need to be reclaimed as the population grows, according to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland. Ireland’s Critical Raw Materials Act came into force in May, requiring 25% of critical and strategic materials such as lithium, copper and cobalt to be sourced from recycling systems within Europe by 2030. Europe currently imports 80% of its rare earth elements gallium and magnesium from China. Representing around 18 million appliances, 41,730 tonnes of electronic and electrical waste were recycled in Ireland in 2023, up from 40,767 tonnes the previous year. The 2023 haul included two million lighting items, 250,000 TVs, over 500,000 large household appliances including fridge freezers and more than 15 million small appliances such as coffee makers, calculators, kettles and keyboards. The equivalent of 66 million used AA batteries were also processed, while
750,000 vapes were collected after the national recycling scheme implemented its first dedicated takeback programme for waste e-cigarette and vapes last year through WEEE Ireland Blue Battery Boxes. Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland, said: “Over the last two decades, WEEE Ireland has developed a highly efficient, free national takeback system, enabling our country to outperform EU recovery targets. “Our investment in first-class, indigenous recycling facilities ensures we fully maximise the quality and value of the resources – with over 80% of materials recovered for reuse. “While this is a major achievement for our country, we can’t stand still, particularly when it comes to recycling small electrical products to ensure we have the materials needed for current and future product manufacturing. “With finite resources, it is also vital that we support Ireland’s new National Waste Development Plan transitioning from the traditional take-make-use-dispose model to one where electrical and electronic devices are being reused or repaired
as much as possible to minimise waste generation.” The annual report also revealed that 54% of e-waste was collected from retailer sites, 26% from local authority sites and 20% from WEEE Ireland’s network of collection points in 2023.
For more information on recycling e-waste, visit www.weeeireland.ie
About WEEE Ireland WEEE Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation founded by producers of electrical and electronic appliances to support compliance with the EU Battery Directive and WEEE Directive. It manages the collection of household e-waste, lighting and solar PV equipment and batteries from authorised collection points for recycling on behalf of its 1,300+ producer members. Its partners certified to the WEEELABEX European quality recycling standards on the island of Ireland include KMK Metals Recycling Tullamore, Irish Lamps Recycling Athy, ENVA Toomebridge fridge recycling in Northern Ireland and Wisetek in Cork.
ELECTEX DUBLIN: REGISTER TO ATTEND AT WWW.BEPEX.IE
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