More than 5.6 million electrical items were collected for recycling in Ireland last year, with a sharp increase observed in the recycling of large kitchen appliances shortly after the pandemic hit. Overall, electronic waste recycling increased by nine per cent per person during 2020, according to new figures released by the European Recycling Platform (ERP), which is a pan-European compliance scheme for electrical and battery waste. Throughout the year there was a 19 per cent rise in the amount of large kitchen appliances sent for recycling, with 141,292 washing machines, dishwashers and other bulky items collected. The ERP also collected almost 61,000 fridges, and more than 5,245,000 smaller electrics, such as toothbrushes, toasters and curling irons. Irish people also sent 530 tonnes of batteries for recycling in 2020, which is a seven per cent increase on the year before.

Source: The Irish Times May 31, 2021 11:34 UTC