Category: Electronic and Electrical Recycling

WEEE – waste electrical and electronic equipment

Electronic Trends and More 2026

On By JMCEIn Electronic and Electrical RecyclingLeave a comment

Tech Trends

According to eMarketer, the Europe’s business landscape is set to remain heavily technology-driven over the next four years as organizations invest to stay competitive and address growing operational challenges in an increasingly uncertain market environment. AI hardware is booming as well, with specialized chips designed to improve AI inference speeds. From business automation to healthcare diagnostics, AI is driving productivity gains. (Source: Plunkett Research)

Photo by Tom Swinnen on Pexels.com

Overall ICT spending across Europe is projected to exceed $1.4 trillion by 2026, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2021 to 2026.

A Financial Times report for 2026 shows sector trends for Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) will grow, IT & Office will see modest gains, Major Domestic Appliances remain stable, and Telecom and Consumer Electronics experience slight declines.

Banking and professional services will continue to be a large spending sectors while business in general plans to investment in telecom services and IT hardware.

Photo by Curtis Adams on Pexels.com

Battery and vape waste is one of the fastest-growing sectors. But it hold major risks. With lithium-ion battery-related fires on the rise, proper waste segregation at home and in the work place isn’t just good practice, it can save lives by reducing chances of fires in waste vehicles and at recycling facilities.

It also worth noting the Central Statistics Office 2024 ICT Household Survey, which says seven in ten (70%) internet users said that their most recently disposed of mobile phone or smartphone is still at home. Nearly six in ten (58%) said that their old laptop or tablet was still at home. These items can collect by or posted to Recycle IT for safe recycling.

What this means for IT Equipment Recycling:

This projected surge in ICT spending signals a significant increase in the purchase and deployment of new hardware, infrastructure, and digital systems. As organisations upgrade to newer technologies, several key recycling implications emerge:

Higher Volume of Retired Equipment: More investment means more frequent refresh cycles, resulting in increased disposal of legacy devices—including servers, PCs, networking gear, and mobile devices.

Growing Demand for Secure & Compliant Disposal: With stricter European regulations (such as GDPR, WEEE, and sustainability directives), companies will require certified recycling partners to ensure responsible handling and secure data destruction.

Sustainability as a Business Priority: ESG and circular economy commitments will push companies to reuse, refurbish, and recycle more IT equipment instead of landfilling.

Rise of the Secondary Market: Quality refurbished IT equipment will gain value, extending device lifecycles and reducing environmental impact.

Opportunity for ITAD Providers: IT Asset Disposition and recycling businesses will see stronger demand for services like collection, certified recycling, remarketing, and reporting.

Old Computers

Bottom line

As Europe’s tech and appliance spending accelerates, the recycling of IT equipment becomes not just a regulatory necessity but a strategic business function—supporting sustainability goals, cost optimization, data security, safety, and environmental responsibility.

Businesses need clear direction and confidence that their electronic waste is being managed safely and responsibly at every stage of the process. By partnering with a fully permitted, experienced provider like Recycle IT, organisations gain peace of mind—knowing compliance is met, risks are reduced, and materials are handled, treated, and disposed of to the highest standards.

Server Racking for Dismantling and Removal

About Recylce IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning, not-for-profit, social enterprise established in 2003 to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant with WEEE Recycling Requirements and permit details are available here.

For more information about Recycle IT please click here.

Sustainable Business Impact Award Winner 2025

Reuse and Recycling Tips – Refreshed for 2026

On By JMCEIn Electronic and Electrical RecyclingLeave a comment

Small Steps

Small everyday choices can make a big difference to our environment. By reusing items, reducing waste, and recycling wherever possible, we can save resources, cut pollution, and protect our planet for future generations. These simple tips show easy ways everyone—at home, at school, and at work—can reduce waste and live more sustainably. Start with one change and build from there—every action counts.

Small Steps Matter

Reuse and Recycling Tips

  1. Use both sides of paper when writing or drawing.
  2. Give partially used printed paper to children or local schools for drawing.
  3. Bring food to school or work in reusable containers.
  4. Rent or hire schoolbooks and supplies instead of buying new.
  5. Hire gardening tools that are only used occasionally.
  6. Make a bird feeder by reusing a medium-sized plastic bottle.
  7. Choose low-energy light bulbs at home and in the office.
  8. Give unwanted clothes a second life by donating or reusing them.
  9. Reuse and repair items such as shoes and clothing whenever possible.
  10. Pass on seasonal children’s costumes as your children grow.
  11. Choose bar soap instead of liquid soap in plastic bottles.
  12. Buy long-lasting, durable products such as reusable razors and refillable pens.
  13. Use rechargeable batteries for household appliances.
  14. Avoid unnecessary purchases for one-off occasions (e.g. Christmas or Easter).
  15. Give experience-based gifts such as show tickets, sports events, or concerts.
  16. Choose eco-friendly products by reading and understanding labels.
  17. Buy products with minimal or no packaging.
  18. Purchase regularly used household products in bulk.
  19. Reuse shopping bags when shopping.
  20. Use refillable products such as pasta, rice, coffee, and loose-leaf tea.
  21. Drink tap water from reusable bottles.
  22. Donate old books, toys, and games to charities, libraries, or schools.
  23. Reuse glass jars for storage or household purposes.
  24. Compost food scraps and garden waste.
  25. Repair small appliances instead of replacing them.
  26. Buy second-hand furniture, bikes, and electronics.
  27. Swap items with friends, neighbors, or community groups.
  28. Use cloth napkins and towels instead of disposable paper products.
  29. Repurpose old clothing into cleaning cloths or craft materials.
  30. Choose digital bills, tickets, and receipts whenever possible.
  31. Reuse envelopes, folders, and packaging materials.
  32. Return printer cartridges and electronics to recycling collection points.
  33. Choose products made from recycled materials.
  34. Use reusable coffee cups for takeaway drinks.
  35. Freeze leftovers to reduce food waste.
  36. Share rarely used items such as ladders or power tools.
  37. Turn old towels and blankets into pet bedding.
  38. Use beeswax wraps instead of plastic wrap or foil.
  39. Mend or upcycle old furniture instead of replacing it.
  40. Collect rainwater for garden use.

Get Started

As a start, actively look for reuse opportunities close to you, such as charity shops (see below), repair cafés, community swap events, libraries, and refill stores. Local schools, community centres, and online neighborhoods groups often accept donations or share items. Engaging locally reduces waste, supports your community, and helps valuable materials stay in use.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT an award-winning community recycler wishes to build on Ireland’s recycling success story and helped increase the 10 kg of waste electronic and electrical equipment recycled per person, per year. We are inviting resident associations and community groups including tidy towns to speak with us about arranging a FREE collection in your area over the coming months.

Our recycling service is provided FREE to resident associations and communities in South Dublin, Dublin City and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown with surrounding areas in Meath, Wicklow and Kildare also serviced so please give us a call to learn more and arrange a residents collection for your area.

Please call us on 01 4578321 or email info@recycleit.ie.

Oxfam – Click to Learn More

Resident’s Electrical Recycling Collections – Free in 2026

On By JMCEIn Collections, Dublin, Electronic and Electrical Recycling, Electronic Equipment, Family, NewsLeave a comment

Open for 2026 Enquiries and Bookings.

As we welcome 2026, Recycle IT is inviting residents’ associations, tidy towns groups, and community committees to take the lead in making your estate greener. We encourage associations to organise an early-year electrical and pure metal recycling collection, bringing together householders, families, friends, and neighbours to take part.

By working together as a community, we can significantly increase our electrical recycling rate per person. In 2023, this figure stood at just 9.51 kg per person — roughly the weight of nine electric kettles. Surely, as organised and engaged communities, we can do better than that!

Let your residents’ association be the catalyst for positive change in the New Year. Book a collection early, boost participation across your estate, and help set a higher recycling standard for 2026 and beyond.

With one in eight people in Ireland still dumping small electrical items in household bins we want to help you safely recycle any old, unwanted or unused electrical stuff from around the house. This includes kettles, cookers, TVs, washing machines, games consoles, batteries, phones, computers, metals, and electronic toys; the list really is endless.

Recycle IT work in partnership with Residents Groups across Dublin. Our teams can collect all types of household and small office waste electrical, electronic and pure metal equipment from residents. The collection is door to door, free and our teams collect weekly Monday to Friday.

Presenting Your Recycling for Collection

Once local residents know a collection is scheduled people can easily assemble old electrical, electronic and metal equipment and have it out and ready and out for collection by 9am on collection day. If people need help please do lend a hand to get their items out for colleciton or let our team know in advance?

Items for collection can be placed at the front of your home within reach of the pavement (e.g., in your drive) but not on the pavement so as to block access.

Your electrical waste should not be placed in refuse sacks or covered. Please ensure electrical and metal waste items are easily accessible. If items are hidden behind a locked gate or a parked car, we may not be able to see or collect your items. Our teams will accept electrical and metal waste at no cost once used in your home or small office.

You can click here for a list of items collected (PDF Files for electrical and metal items)

In the case of unforeseen circumstances such as poor weather conditions, vehicle breakdowns, roadworks or other incidents, we may be delayed, but we will do our best to keep groups updated and we will work to catch up throughout the day.

On request, we can enter homes at the ground floor level only. Residents should remain at a safe distance from our team. It is preferable if items for recycling are outside.

Working Together

Our authorised WEEE collections are offered in association with Residents’ Associations. Each group helps by providing details on the number of homes in the area, names of roads, and promotion of the event to householders through social media, email, leaflets newsletter etc. Recycle IT can provide further information on request.

Please note: Today our resident collections are provided free of charge to Residents’ Associations in South Dublin, Dublin City and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT an award-winning community recycler wishes to build on Ireland’s recycling success story and help increase the 10.9 KG of waste electrical and electronic equipment collected yearly per inhabitant in Ireland. (recorded in 2017)

We are inviting resident associations and community groups including tidy towns to speak with us about arranging a FREE collection in your area over the coming months.

Our team will accept old household electrical items, and office electrical items alongside your garden power tools and pure metal equipment. We can also accept commercial appliances but do call in advance.

Recycle IT as a social enterprise works in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office. Recycle IT are an active member of Community Resources Network Ireland (CRNI).

To learn more about recycling electrical equipment please call Recycle IT at 01 4578321, email us or visit www.recycleit.ie

Recycle IT Truck

Gift of Reuse – Mobile Phones

On By JMCEIn Dublin, Electronic and Electrical Recycling, Electronic Equipment, Social EnterpriseLeave a comment

Gifting, Upgrading, Replacing, Reusing

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday, just past and Christmas fast approaching new mobile phones are chosen by many as a gift for that special someone. At the same time, many of us just upgrade or replace old phones with a new, faster, increasingly secure gleaming model!

According to the Irish Central Statistics Office (CSO), seven in ten (70%) of internet users said that their most recently disposed of mobile phone or smartphone is still at home. Just 9% of internet users had disposed of their most recently disposed of/replaced mobile phone or smartphone at an electronic waste collection/recycling centre.

By Age

Analysis by age group shows that younger people aged 16 to 29 years were far more likely to sell or give away their mobile phone or smartphone when disposing of it or replacing it. Nearly one quarter (24%) of these younger internet users sold or gave away their phone when finished using it, over double the use of this disposal method amongst older persons in the 60 to 74 years age group (11%). Just 5% of internet users aged 75 years and over sold or gave their phone away when disposing of it or replacing it.

A 2024 Global GSMA Survey shows that handing down smartphones to family and friends is a Global Trend, but 5-10 Billion dormant’ mobile phones remain in desk drawers worldwide. 

Some options

There are an increasing number of options for recycling and reusing old mobile phones some of which are listed below.

  • When you buy a new mobile phone in a shop, ask how you can recycle your old one.
  • If your unwanted phone is in good working condition and reasonably up-to-date, online resellers and some high street shops buy electrical or electronic items, especially if you have the original box, charger and instructions.
  • Old, unused, broken mobile phones can be disposed of at most recycling centres alongside small electrical items – find your nearest in Dublin here.

Some charities did accept mobile phones in the past. This option seems to have ceased but safe recycling is still an option, It’s really good to know phones are recyclable and many parts can be recovered so please don’t send them to a landfill or leave them in the drawer for years.

Old Mobile Phones

Value

Mobile phones contain a range of materials including valuable fragments such as Silver, Lead, Aluminum, Lithium and Palladium are found in smartphones. These resources can all be extracted and re-used over and over again. The variety of metals used includes aluminium which is lightweight and usually found in the phone case. Lithium cobalt oxide and carbon graphite are used to make the batteries. Elements like gold, copper and silver are used in the wiring of the phone. Platinum and tungsten are used in the circuitry. Another common material found in mobile phones is plastic which can be used instead of lightweight metal in the case.

Before you retire your old phone

  • Back up your data e.g. photos, music, messages, emails, contacts etc
  • Turn off any payment services e.g.google pay where your card details are stored
  • Sign out of apps that hold your personal information e.g. social media sites and email accounts.
  • Delete saved passwords on your browsers – e.g. google chrome.
  • Remove your SIM card and any backup or external storage
  • Wipe the phone with a factory reset.

If you are unsure of how to perform the above actions you can try the user manual if you still have one. Alternatively, if you know or can find the phone model number you will most likely find the steps online and there may be a video on YouTube to help.

If the above action doesn’t work for you, Recycle IT can help with the cost-effective breakdown and destruction of your old mobile phones. The process places the phone beyond reuse, while also safely recycling the component parts for processing and eventual reuse in new products.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning, not-for-profit, social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant with WEEE Recycling Requirements and permit details are available here.

For more information about Recycle IT please click here.

Damaged Mobile Phones

Free Electrical Recycling – Residents and Community Groups

On By JMCEIn Dublin, Electronic and Electrical Recycling, Electronic Equipment, Family, We Recycle ITLeave a comment

How your helping!

Consumers recycled a record-breaking 41,730 tonnes of electronic and electrical waste in 2023 – the equivalent of almost 200 forty-foot containers Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Ireland’s annual report shows that approximately 18.1 million appliances were collected for recycling last year – exceeding all European norms. 

Large Electrical Household Appliances – Collected for Recycling by Recycle IT

Over 15 million small appliances such as coffee makers, calculators, kettles and keyboards, along with the equivalent of 66 million used AA batteries were also handed back to make their way into the circular economy.

Community Recycling

Recycle IT want to further encourage communities, householders, families, and children to take action and recycle more old, unwanted or unused stuff from around your home. This includes kettles, cookers, games, batteries, phones, metals, and electronic toys; the list is endless so click here for more. To support we offer free resident association collection in many areas of Dublin.

Recycle IT has a focus on recycling old, once loved electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal. If your cooker, hobs or battery-operated toys, radio or phone is broken or surplus to requirements what do you do? Do you leave them to gather dust in the cupboard, attic or garden shed or do you add them to the weekly rubbish? (out of sight, out of mind) Why not consider recycling now! We will except metal including outdoor heaters, BBQ’s, old bikes, pots, pans and more…

Household TVs – Collected for Recycling by Recycle IT

Impacts

In 2024 Recycle IT through residents associations and community groups offered collections to over 40,000 homes located on roads and in estates across Dublin and surrounding area. The weight of items safely recycled by our team in 2024 totaled well over 700 tons. 

Many of us simply don’t realize that items with a plug or battery can be reused, re-purposed or recycled. So if your TV’s, monitors, laptops or washing machine have become obsolete think about the positive impact you can make by recycling with Recycle IT.  You can help the environment, sustain jobs and create training opportunities by taking part in our resident’s recycling days.

Recylcing TV's - Recycle IT
TV Recycling By Recycle IT

12 Reasons to avail of Free WEEE Recycle

  1. Recycling conserves resources e.g. metal, plastics, water, fuel.
  2. Recycling reduces clutter and creates space.
  3. Recycling helps reduce Co2 emissions.
  4. Recycling saves energy.
  5. Recycling helps protect the environment e.g climate change
  6. Recycling reduces landfill.
  7. Recycling reduces domestic waste charges.
  8. Recycling helps create and maintain local employment.
  9. Recycling encourages others in your community to recycle.
  10. Recycling using official locations or collections reduces the dumping of waste.
  11. Recycling helps our children learn about sustainability so involve your kids.
  12. Recycling provides access to materials for repurposing and reuse by others

You can drop off your items free of charge with Recycle IT or arrange a residents association collection for you and all your neighbours once loved electronic toys, laptops, PCs, white goods, kitchen appliances, electric gardening tools, TV’s, old video games consoles and lots more.

Electrical Equipment
Household Electrical Equipment

Once received the items, they can be reused, re-purposed or recycled leading to an overall reduction in the number of electrical items going to landfill or illegally shipped to third world countries. Another real benefit is the fact that our service helps create training and employment opportunities.

Achieved to Date

  • Hugh reductions in CO2 emissions from fridge freezers.
  • Over 100 million electrical appliances already collected through WEEE Ireland.
  • A reduction in harmful batteries ending up in landfill.
  • Fewer light bulbs found in domestic waste.
  • Increased employment opportunities.
  • Better overall environmental awareness.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT an award-winning community recycler wishes to build on Ireland’s recycling success story and helped increase the 10 kg of waste electronic and electrical equipment recycled per person, per year. We are inviting resident associations and community groups including tidy towns to speak with us about arranging a FREE collection in your area over the coming months.

Our recycling service is provided FREE to resident associations and communities in South Dublin, Dublin City and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown with surrounding areas in Wicklow and Kildare also serviced so please give us a call to learn more and arrange a residents collection for your area.

Please call us on 01 4578321 or email info@recycleit.ie.

Recycle IT is supported by Dormant Accounts to deliver our scheduled community and residents recycling collection service.

Supported by Dormant Accounts