{"id":123790,"date":"2025-10-15T14:26:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/123790\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:26:09","slug":"importance-of-raw-materials-in-old-appliances-a-consumer-blind-spot-recycling-body-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/123790\/","title":{"rendered":"Importance of raw materials in old appliances a consumer \u2018blind spot\u2019\u2013 recycling body \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">Half of consumers do not realise the materials in their old electrical appliances contain critical raw materials needed for renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">Data by Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland shows that while eight in 10 adults say they recycle their e-waste, only 50 per cent recognise the importance of recovering the materials they contain, rising to 60 per cent among 18 to 24-year-olds. <\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">The figures suggest that they may not connect recycling with resource recovery.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">Not-for-profit organisation WEEE Ireland says it is a \u201cmajor blind spot\u201d that could be costing Ireland valuable critical raw materials (CRMs) needed for a greener future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">The data was released by the body to coincide with International E-Waste Day on Tuesday, as Europe\u2019s e-waste contains an estimated one million tonnes of these materials every year, including aluminium, copper, lithium and nickel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph b-it-article-body__interstitial-link\">[\u00a0<a aria-label=\"Open related story\" class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/life-style\/2025\/05\/25\/its-time-to-stop-hoarding-old-smartphones-and-laptops\/\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">It\u2019s time to stop hoarding old smartphones and laptopsOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cMost Irish adults recycle their old electronics because they care about the planet \u2013 but few realise just how important it is for us to recover the critical raw materials from those discarded devices,\u201d said Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cEvery old and broken phone, hairdryer or game controller tucked away at home contains materials that the EU desperately needs to be less reliant on China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cEurope\u2019s e-waste is now being called the new oil, and Ireland\u2019s contribution to that well of resources can either sit gathering dust or be mined responsibly for a circular future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cWe\u2019re urging everyone \u2013 if it\u2019s old, broken or obsolete, recycle it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">WEEE Ireland\u2019s research also indicates that almost one in three people keep unused tech as a backup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">Discarded e-waste across Europe, plus the UK, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, contains one million tonnes of CRMs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">These materials can be used to manufacture heat pumps, wind turbines, EV chargers, servers and smartphones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cWith Irish consumers currently only recycling three end-of-life electrical items for every 10 purchased, the potential impact of recycling is immense,\u201d said Mr Donovan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">\u201cA concerted effort to collect and recover could extract hundreds of tonnes of reusable metals from obsolete gadgets and appliances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-paragraph paywall \">WEEE Ireland is urging people to drop off old and broken electronic devices, batteries, and cables for free recycling at one of the hundreds of local authority civic amenity centres and participating electrical retailers. \u2013 PA <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Half of consumers do not realise the materials in their old electrical appliances contain critical raw materials 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