Westmeath e-waste recycling falls just below national average

The amount of electrical waste recycled in Westmeath last year fell just below the national average, while in neighbouring Roscommon the figure was slightly above, according to new figures from WEEE Ireland.

Consumers across Westmeath recycled 908 tonnes of e-waste in 2022, amounting to 9.5kgs per person, which was slightly below the national average of 10kg per person.

By contrast, Roscommon consumers recycled 755 tonnes of e-waste in 2022, amounting to 10.8kg per person which was just above the national average.

The recycling figures for Westmeath and Roscommon were revealed at the launch of WEEE Ireland’s annual report earlier this week. The report detailed how 52% of electrical waste was collected from retailer sites in 2022, 24% from local public collection days, but only 24% from local authority sites, which is significantly lower than the 60% average in other European countries.

WEEE Ireland recycles its materials in KMK Metal Recycling’s two facilities in Tullamore and Kilbeggan, and the company was described as being “instrumental in processing e-waste to the highest European standards and ensuring its recycling into secondary critical and strategic materials” by the CEO of WEEE Ireland, Leo Donovan, who said that last year WEEE had got more out of the recovered items than ever before.

“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 the CEO, who added that recycling centres and retailers “are easily accessible to everyone, along with public collection days that we hold in different counties each week.”

707 tonnes of electrical waste were collected in Offaly in 2022 for processing at KMK Metals Recycling. However, WEEE Ireland warned that Ireland risks 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” said Mr. Donovan.

He added that “recent global events and the energy crisis” have highlighted more than ever before the dangers of relying on other countries for critical raw materials, and he added that the EU currently imports 93% of its magnesium and 86% 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% of the critical raw materials consumed annually originate from recycled sources under the forthcoming Critical Raw Materials Act.”

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