WEEE Ireland Foresees Low E-Waste Recycling Rate in 2020

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland- the country’s largest recycling scheme warned that the e-waste recycling in the country is unlikely to meet the 2020 targets set by the EU, on account of difficulties due to Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Leo Donovan, Chief Executive, WEEE Ireland, it won’t be easy to achieve the 65% benchmark recycling target set for the current year. With travel restrictions in place during national lockdown on account of the pandemic, many household items that used to reach recycling centres are likely to end up in landfills, he said.

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Donovan urged consumers to recycle electronics for free at local recycling centres and participating retailers, so as to avoid an e-waste crisis situation.

It must be noted that WEEE Ireland had emerged as the second best-performing recycling scheme in the entire European region, setting a new national record of 10.89 kilograms of e-waste recycled per head of population in 2019. The recently published annual report suggests that 38,594 tonnes of waste electrical items were collected in 2019, up by 6.2% from the prior year. A total of approximately 19 million pieces of e-waste, including lamps, lightbulbs and large household appliances were recovered.