The public is being encouraged to dig out unwanted electronics and cables which could contain valuable metals.
Ahead of International E-Waste Day next Monday, WEEE Ireland, the country’s national compliance scheme for the recycling of e-waste, has warned that disposing of e-waste incorrectly has high financial and environmental costs.
Increasing recovery and recycling rates, it said, will also reduce the pressure on finite natural resources.
Many common household electronic items like power tools, old phones and children’s toys contain valuable metals, plastics and other materials which can be extracted and used again in the manufacturing and electronic industries.
Figures from the Global E-Waste Monitor for 2024 showed that a total of 14 million tonnes of electronic waste are improperly thrown out with regular rubbish globally every year.
The figure equates to the weight of around 24,000 of the world’s heaviest passenger planes.
Recycling e-waste an ‘opportunity’
“Careless disposal represents a missed opportunity for recycling, as many of these items contain recoverable materials that can be used to make new products and squanders critical resources that are increasingly in scarce supply,” said Leo Donovan, CEO of WEEE Ireland.
He said: “Recycling e-waste should no longer be viewed as merely disposing of old electronics that can’t be repaired or reused.
“Instead, we need to see it as an opportunity to recover all the valuable materials they contain. By adopting this mindset, we give a second life to items that are often considered ‘end of life’.
“The circular economy thrives when we stop thinking of these items as waste and start realising their value as resources.”
The Global E-Waste Monitor, compiled by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the International Telecommunication Union, reported that 29kg of e-waste is generated per household, amounting to 62 billion tonnes globally.
This contained approximately 4 billion kg of metals, including 34 million kg of cobalt and 3.9 billion kg of aluminium, crucial for the electronics industry.
However, just 1% of critical raw material requirements is met by current e-waste recycling, which needs to increase to 25% under the new Critical Raw Materials Act for Ireland and EU member states.
The data showed that 844 million e-cigarettes were thrown away and they contained enough lithium to power 15,000 electric cars.
Separate research conducted for WEEE Ireland showed that one in eight people in Ireland continues to dump small electrical items in household bins, rising to one in four among younger age groups.
When properly handled, e-waste could reduce CO2 emissions by 93 million tonnes annually, equivalent to taking 20 million cars off the road.
WEEE Ireland has urged the public to stop carelessly discarding broken, unwanted electronic products with household waste.
“Everyone is encouraged to gather unused electronic devices and appliances from their homes and bring them to designated recycling centres, electrical retailers or participate in WEEE Ireland local recycling collection events,” said Mr Donovan.
“The benefits of e-waste recycling include reducing CO2 emissions, conserving raw materials, and preventing toxic substances from harming our environment,” he added.
WEEE Ireland is the national compliance scheme for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment and batteries, established to help Ireland meet its EU recycling targets.
Article Source – Public encouraged to recycle electronics which may contain valuable metals – RTE
