Consumers in Kildare recycled 1,308 tonnes of electrical waste last year

An average of 5.3 kilograms (kg) of electrical waste was recycled per person in Kildare last year.

This is close to half the national average of 10kg per person, according to a recently released annual report from WEEE Ireland.

1,308 tonnes of electrical waste (also known as e-waste) were collected in Kildare in 2022 by the country’s largest recycling scheme.

However, WEEE Ireland has stressed that 'we risk jeopardising green energy sources if we fail to improve our e-waste recycling and hit new EU targets for critical raw material recovery.'

IMPORTS

Electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar power generators all require components such as lithium, magnesium, copper and nickel.

However, we are importing the vast bulk of these; as a result, WEEE Ireland now warns that we need to meet a forthcoming EU target to recycle at least 15 per cent of our annual consumption of critical raw materials from this e-waste.

The group's CEO, Leo Donovan, elaborated: "Old and broken electronics and appliances are a rich source of essential critical raw materials, so it is vital that Kildare households recycle the millions of broken and perfectly recyclable electrical items that are accumulating in their homes or being improperly disposed of.

"Recent global events and the energy crisis have underscored the vulnerabilities of relying on other countries for critical raw materials.

He continued: "The EU currently imports 93 per cent of its magnesium and 86 per cent of its rare earth metals from China... We need secure and sustainable sources of these materials within the EU or we risk jeopardising the supply of vital technologies required for our future green and digital transitions.”

"As the world embraces a more sustainable future and shifts away from fossil fuels, the demand for lithium alone, a vital component in batteries that power every day technology and devices, is projected to increase twelve-fold by 2030.

"To address these challenges, the EU aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 15 per cent of the critical raw materials consumed annually originate from recycled sources under the forthcoming Critical Raw Materials Act," Mr Donovan concluded.

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DETAILS

WEEE Ireland’s annual report today shows that consumers recycled a record number of e-waste items last year: 40,804 tonnes, or just over 10kg per person.

A total of 19.5 million appliances were recovered nationwide in 2022, including 113,000 fridges, 225,000 TVs and monitors, 2.2 million lighting items and the equivalent of 60 million used AA portable batteries.

While Ireland surpassed the EU's 45 per cent target for waste portable batteries recycling, we fell short of Europe’s 65 per cent takeback target for overall e-waste.

This is measured against new appliance sales which surged by an average 25kg per person last year, up from 22kg in 2021.

WEEE Ireland recycles its materials in Ireland, and increased investment has led to e-waste processing to highest European standards.

Mr Donovan explained: "Our collaboration with KMK Metals Recycling in the midlands has been instrumental in processing e-waste to the highest European standards and ensuring its recycling into secondary critical and strategic materials.

"Last year, we got more out of these recovered items than ever before.

“We have developed a national recycling and material recovery infrastructure that provides a local solution to a global challenge and contributes significantly to the circular economy."

The report shows 52 per cent of electrical waste was collected from retailer sites in 2022, 24 per cent from local public collection days, but only 24 per cent from local authority sites.

This is significantly lower than the 60 per cent average in other European countries.

Mr Donovan added: "I cannot stress enough how important it is to recycle your e-waste through authorised recycling centres to ensure the safe and efficient recovery and reuse of materials.

"Recycling centres and retailers are easily accessible to everyone, along with public collection days that we hold in different counties each week."

To find your nearest local recycling centre, public collection day, or electrical retailer, visit weeeireland.ie.