WEEE highlights from 2024
Achieved all EU recovery and recycling/reuse targets.
60,300 tonnes were recovered and 54,100 tonnes recycled/prepared for reuse in 2024, a 0.4% and 2.1% respective increase from 2023.
This page contains EPA waste data for Ireland’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in 2024 (released July 2026). These data are submitted to Eurostat annually in June for reporting requirements under framework of the WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU and the European Union WEEE Regulations S.I. No. 149 of 2014 and are subject to further validation.
Highlights ~ Collection ~ Recycling & recovery ~ More information ~ Links
Collection
In 2024, 65,523 tonnes of WEEE were separately collected for treatment in Ireland, an increase of 2.5% from 63,945 tonnes in 2023. The amount of WEEE collected from private households (referred to as B2C WEEE) was 54,027 tonnes and an additional 11,496 tonnes were collected from other sources such as businesses (B2B WEEE). Since 2023, B2C collection increased by 2.8%, while B2B collection increased by 0.8%.
The WEEE collection target is calculated by dividing the amount of WEEE collected in 2024 by the average of EEE placed-on-market in the previous three years. Since 2018, the EU has set a target collection rate of 65%, which Ireland has yet to achieve.
In 2024, the WEEE collection rate fell to 41.5%, down from 43.6% in 2023 and 51.2% in 2022.
|
Categories |
WEEE Collected (tonnes) |
|---|---|
|
1. Temperature exchange equipment |
9,972 |
|
2. Screens, monitors, and equipment containing screens having a surface greater than 100 cm2 |
3,455 |
|
3. Lamps |
305 |
|
4. Large equipment (any external dimension more than 50 cm) |
35,032 |
|
5. Small equipment (no external dimension more than 50c m) |
11,495 |
|
6. Small IT and telecommunications equipment (no external dimension more than 50 cm) |
5,265 |
|
Total WEEE Collected |
65,523 |
Recycling & recovery
The quantity of WEEE recycled or prepared for reuse increased by 2.1% to 54,108 tonnes in 2024, while the quantity of WEEE recovered increased by 0.4% to 60,296 tonnes. WEEE recovery tonnages and targets combine WEEE recycled, prepared for reuse and recovered.
Ireland met the EU recovery, recycling and prepared for reuse targets for all six categories of WEEE in 2024.
|
Categories |
EU recovery target |
Ireland’s recovery rate in 2024 |
EU preparation for reuse and recycling target |
Ireland’s preparation for reuse and recycling rate in 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Temperature exchange equipment |
85% |
93% |
80% |
81% |
|
2. Screens, monitors, and equipment containing screens having a surface greater than 100 cm2 |
80% |
98% |
70% |
78% |
|
3. Lamps |
Not applicable |
90% |
80% |
81% |
|
4. Large equipment (any external dimension more than 50 cm) |
85% |
92% |
80% |
85% |
|
5. Small equipment (no external dimension more than 50c m) |
75% |
88% |
55% |
72% |
|
6. Small IT and telecommunications equipment (no external dimension more than 50 cm) |
75% |
97% |
55% |
94% |
More Information
- WEEE is one of the fastest growing waste streams globally, driven by increasing levels of electronics production. It is also among the most hazardous waste streams if not properly managed, posing significant risks to human health and the environment.
- The separate collection of WEEE protects human health and the environment as it prevents the release of hazardous materials. Many devices also contain rare and valuable components that can be recovered and reused, reducing the need for raw material extraction.
- Transitioning to a circular economy requires breaking the link between economic activity and resource consumption. Improvements in design to extend product lifetimes and to allow for repair, refurbishment and reuse are needed to ensure that electrical products remain in circulation for longer and can be fully recycled at the end of their life.
- Despite the general improvements in the collection of WEEE in Ireland, there is evidence from the EPA’s 2024 Waste Characterisation Reports that substantial amounts are still present in household and commercial bins. These accounted for 6% of waste in household residual bins (4,480 tonnes) and 0.3% of waste in household recycling bins (772 tonnes). A further 823 tonnes were found in commercial bins.
Collection Rate
- The WEEE collection target is calculated by dividing the amount of WEEE collected in 2024 by the average of EEE placed-on-market in the previous three years. While there has been a small increase in the tonnages of WEEE collected, large increases in EEE placed on the market are driving the collection rate down. The rising EEE placed on the market reflects:
- Economic and population growth
- Increasing ICT sales due to the transition to digitalisation
- Increasing demand for decarbonising technologies and equipment (e.g. solar panels, heat pumps) which also have longer lifespans
- The national trend, of a decreasing WEEE collection rate, is mirrored across the EU. Recently reported data and trends show that collection rates have decreased since 2020, with an EU-wide collection rate of 37.5%. The decreasing rate is related to faster increases in EEE placed on the market which has grown by 80% since 2015.
WEEE Compliance Schemes
The WEEE Directive is a Producer Responsibility Initiative (PRI) Directive, where the producers of EEE have responsibility for the environmentally sound management of products at their end of life. Most collection and treatment of WEEE in Ireland is organised and financed by the two approved producer compliance schemes, WEEE Ireland and ERP Ireland. These schemes cover private household WEEE (B2C WEEE). Industry is directly responsible for management of non-private household WEEE in Ireland (B2B WEEE).
WEEE Data Collection
The EPA compiles Ireland’s WEEE collection and treatment statistics using data reported by authorised waste facilities to the EPA and the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO). The data is validated and supplemented using information from producer compliance schemes, waste collection records, waste management reports submitted by producers and waste export data from the National Transfrontier Shipment Office (NTFSO). The WEEE collection target is calculated using data on EEE placed on the Irish market, supplied by Producer Register Limited (PRL).
European Reporting
As part of annual reporting under the EU WEEE Directive, the EPA compiles statistics on WEEE collection and treatment in Ireland. The data are required to be submitted to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, by 30th June of the reference year +2 (i.e. 2024 data was collected and processed in 2025 and is reported in 2026). Following validation of the data by Eurostat, official statistics for all Member States are published on the Eurostat website as part of the following datasets:
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by waste management operations [env_waselee] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASELEE/default/table?lang=en&category=env.env_was.env_wasst
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by waste management operations - open scope, 6 product categories (from 2018 onwards) [env_waseleeos]https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_waseleeos/default/table?lang=en&category=env.env_was.env_wasst