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Recycling Rate for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Continues to Grow

28/09/07

“Producers need to do more on Recovering Smaller Items and Reuse” - Gormley

o 380,000 fridges and freezers recycled since implementation of WEEE Directive
o 570,000 large household appliances recycled since August 2005
o WEEE Directive diverts 240,000 televisions from landfill
o 6.7m WEEE items collected to date
o 31,500 tonnes / 3.5 million units of household WEEE recycled in 2006
o Each person recycled 7.4 Kgs of household WEEE in 2006
o Ireland close to doubling target set for 2008
o Room for improvement – not enough small items are being recycled
o All WEEE is hazardous – it must not go in the bin – no matter how small
o Greater public awareness is required – producers must engage with the public if desired recovery rates are to be achieved

Mr. John Gormley T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today (28th September 2007) announced further progress in the performance of the WEEE recycling scheme since the scheme came into effect on 13 August 2005. While this progress is welcome there is, however, further room for improvement, he added.

Speaking today Minister Gormley said, “I am very pleased with these figures, the amount of WEEE material that has been recycled by Irish householders is a national success story. The figures offer great encouragement in advance of National Recycling Week, which gets underway next week, when we will be urged to consider if there is anything further we can do to better manage our waste.”

“The emphasis in August 2005 was in establishing a viable and sustainable WEEE take back system and this has now been done”, he said, adding that “this is demonstrated in the collection of 7.4 Kgs of household WEEE for recycling in 2006, almost double the 4 Kgs target the WEEE Directive requires Ireland to achieve by the end of 2008”. 

82% of WEEE collected in 2006 by weight, however, consisted of almost 134,000 fridges and freezers, almost 418,000 large household appliances and almost 139,000 televisions.  “It clear that not enough small items of WEEE are being recycled”, the Minister said, adding that “all WEEE is hazardous, none of which no matter how small should be placed in the household bin”.  The Minister stated, that “the public needs to be made aware that there are collection systems in place for the free take back of all WEEE, adding that “a purchase is not required to avail of free take back”.  “Local authorities must take back all household WEEE deposited at their collection points free of charge and retailers must inform their customers not just of the one-for-one, like-for-like take back services they are obliged to provide, but also of the free take back service provided by local authorities”, he added. 

The Minster also said that “raising public awareness is a producer responsibility” adding that “unless there is proper engagement by producers with the public it will not be possible to achieve the desired recovery rates”. The Minister said, “The challenge now is for producers to invest in an awareness programme to educate the public that electrical items should not be deposited in the household bin, but brought to a retailer or a local authority civic amenity facility for recycling” adding that “the public needs to be reminded that not only is all WEEE recyclable, but producers are required to recycling all WEEE deposited at collection points”, whether it televisions, DVD players, electronic games and watches, electric toothbrushes. 

Minister Gormley added that producers are obliged to invest in collection infrastructure. “Producers must provide all collection points, whether they are retail outlets or local authority facilities, with adequate containers to facilitate the safe storage and transport of WEEE, particularly delicate items such as long and compact fluorescent lamps. My Department is currently in discussion with producers with regard to these issues and I look forward to seeing producers taking a pro-active approach on all of these challenges.”

The WEEE Directive requires that priority be given to the re-use of old electrical and electronic equipment.  “There is vibrant social economy activity in refurbishing old electrical and electronic goods, the Minister said, adding that “there is evidence that perfectly working equipment is being recycled instead of being diverted for re-use”.  He said that “it is unacceptable that re-usable equipment is destroyed for material recovery in instances where the more environmentally sustainable option is to re-use this equipment.  My Department is working with the relevant stakeholders, including the social economy sector in developing a protocol to promote and facilitate higher levels of reuse”. I hope to see that protocol completed before the end of this year.

The Minister concluded by welcoming the announcement from the WEEE Register Society Ltd that there will be a further reduction in environmental management cost from Monday (1st October 2007).  These further reductions are on account of lower recycling costs following improved economies of scale and indigenous investment in WEEE recycling facilities. The indigenous investment in WEEE recycling facilities is a direct consequence of the stable regulatory environment following implementation of the WEEE Directive.

ENDS

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