The EPA produces national statistics on waste generation and management to meet legislative reporting obligations and inform national policy development.
This release reports information on the collection and recovery of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Ireland in 2014.
WEEE is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU. An estimated 12 million tonnes of WEEE will arise per annum by 2020. There is high potential for reuse of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and recovery of WEEE. There are many valuable materials in WEEE (metal, plastic, glass, rare metals) which need to be recycled rather than disposed.
Figure 1. WEEE collected, recovered and reused & recycled, 2008 to 2014
Table 1. Ireland’s recovery and reuse recycling rates compared to EU targets, 2014
| Categories | EU recovery rate target | Ireland’s recovery rate | EU reuse & recycling rate target | Ireland’s reuse and recycling rate | |
| 1 | Large household appliances | 80% | 83% | 75% | 83% |
| 2 | Small household appliances | 70% | 88% | 50% | 81% |
| 3 | IT and telecommunications equipment | 75% | 95% | 65% | 89% |
| 4 | Consumer equipment | 75% | 86% | 65% | 83% |
| 5 | Lighting equipment | 70% | 89% | 50% | 89% |
| 5a | Gas discharge lamps | N/A | 88% | 80% | 88% |
| 6 | Electrical and electronic tools | 70% | 91% | 50% | 83% |
| 7 | Toys, leisure and sports equipment | 70% | 93% | 50% | 85% |
| 8 | Medical devices | 70% | 92% | 50% | 84% |
| 9 | Monitor and control instruments | 70% | 92% | 50% | 85% |
| 10 | Automatic dispensers | 80% | 87% | 75% | 85% |
View EPA – WEEE Statistics for Ireland 2014
WEEE Statistics 2014 data tables and figures
Eurostat – Waste Statistics – electrical and electronic equipment
Source: EPA
