Record level of electrical waste and batteries was recycled last year

A record level of electrical and battery waste was recycled in Wicklow last year.

The latest figures from WEEE Ireland shows that 9kg of e-waste was collected per head of population in Wicklow which is a new county record.

The annual report revealed that WEEE Ireland recycled 35,708 tonnes of e-waste and 874 tonnes of waste batteries from Irish householders, consumers and businesses last year.

It is a new record for WEEE Ireland to achieve an average collection rate surpassing 10kg of e-waste per head of the population.

Wicklow has again proven itself to be a national leader, with a collection rate of 9kg per person. This is a new record for Wicklow and represents an increase on recent years, rising from 8.1kg per person in 2015.

Among the items recycled were and estimated 3.2 million lamps and lightbulbs, 195,000 televisions and monitors and almost 12 million small appliances. Forty-eight per cent of all e-waste recycled was large appliances such as dishwashers, ovens and washing machines which can be returned to retailers for recycling on delivery of new appliances.