Consumers in Longford recycle 412 tonnes of electrical waste in 2022

An average of 8.85kg of e-waste was recycled per person in Longford last year, falling below the national average of 10kg per person according to new figures from WEEE Ireland.

412 tonnes of electrical waste were collected in Longford in 2022 by the country’s largest recycling scheme. However, WEEE Ireland said 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.

Electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar power generators all require components such as lithium, magnesium, copper and nickel – but we are importing the vast bulk of these.

WEEE Ireland now warns that we need to meet a forthcoming EU target to recycle at least 15% of our annual consumption of critical raw materials from this e-waste.

“Old and broken electronics and appliances are a rich source of essential critical raw materials, so it is vital that Longford households recycle the millions of broken and perfectly recyclable electrical items that are accumulating in their homes or being improperly disposed of,” said WEEE Ireland CEO, Leo Donovan.

“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,” said Mr Donovan.

“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 go to weeeireland.ie.