Green Technology – Recycle IT

Wasting Less, Reusing More

The Circular Economy Strategy 2026–2028 launched on 24 February 2026 and sets out how Ireland will reduce waste, reuse more materials and support a more sustainable economy.

Ireland’s Circular Economy Strategy 2026–2028 is a plan to help the country waste less and use resources better. Right now, we mostly follow a “take–make–throw away” model.

This strategy aims to move Ireland towards a system where materials are reused, repaired, and kept in use for as long as possible.

What the strategy wants to achieve

Use more recycled materials: Increase Ireland’s circular material use rate to 12% by 2030.

Grow the economy in a smarter way: Use fewer new raw materials and make better use of what we already have.

Support businesses and jobs: Help Ireland become a leader in sustainable design, manufacturing, and new circular business ideas.

Be fair to everyone: Make sure communities and workers benefit from these changes.

Help people make greener choices: Make sustainable living easier and more affordable.

Support local councils: Help communities create local reuse and recycling projects.

Use digital tools: Encourage businesses to track products and materials better using tools like digital product passports.

Why this matters

The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 supports Ireland’s move towards reducing waste and keeping materials in use longer. European laws also support this shift.

The strategy focuses on key areas like construction, farming, retail, packaging, textiles, and electronics. These sectors will work on reducing waste and increasing repair and reuse.

In 2024, a national study called the Circularity Gap Report Ireland found that only 2.7% of materials used in Ireland come from recycled sources. That means over 97% come from new, raw materials. The report shows that Ireland still relies heavily on a wasteful system — but it also shows that moving to a circular economy could reduce carbon emissions, strengthen the economy, and improve long-term security.

In simple terms, this strategy is about wasting less, reusing more, cutting carbon, and building a stronger, fairer Ireland for the future. Get the report here.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is the only Community Electronic Recycling Social Enterprise in Dublin providing a community collection service for all types of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Recycle IT offers collection services to homes and organisations across Dublin and surrounding areas each year collecting a range of WEEE including monitors, televisions and much more. If your a school, college, charity or community group based in Dublin or a surrounding area we invite you to contact us about our FREE colleciton service.

Our award-winning services are supported by South Dublin Country Council, and South Dublin Country Partnership and provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. We are authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authority.

Visit our website for further details or learn more about reuse month here

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Process that transforms Hazardous Plastic

For many years, electrical and electronic waste (also known as e-waste) has been building up across Europe and around the world.

A lot of this waste includes plastics that contain chemicals such as flame retardants. While these chemicals are important for fire safety, they have made plastics very difficult to recycle. Because of this, much of this plastic has been treated as hazardous waste and sent for disposal instead of reuse.

A new project – PLAST2bCLEANED

This helpful project has developed a new recycling method that safely removes these harmful chemicals from plastic. This makes it possible to recover clean, high-quality plastic, as well as valuable materials like bromine and antimony trioxide. This supports Europe’s goal of creating a circular, closed-loop recycling system.

Instead of shredding plastic into lower-quality material, the process uses heat and special solvents to fully dissolve the plastic. The harmful additives are then separated out, leaving behind clean plastic that can be reused again and again in manufacturing.

Based in the Netherlands, the PLAST2bCLEANED project shows real progress in reducing environmental damage and lowering Europe’s reliance on imported raw materials, especially antimony*, which is considered a critical resource.

* Antimony is a metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and non-metals. Antimony is utilized in various applications, including:

Alloys: It is commonly added to lead and tin alloys to improve their properties, making them suitable for use in batteries, solders, and bullets.
Flame Retardants: Antimony trioxide is a key component in flame retardants used in textiles and plastics including plastics use in electrical products.
Semiconductors: It is used as a dopant in semiconductor devices, enhancing their electrical properties.

New EU Regulation

A new era of EU regulation is changing how products are made and recycled. New rules now require manufacturers to use more recycled materials, including valuable substances like bromine and antimony.

Digital Product Passports will also track how clean and recyclable materials are over a product’s lifetime. At the same time, the EU wants to recycle more of its own critical raw materials to reduce reliance on imports.

Technologies like PLAST2bCLEANED will play a key role in supporting a circular economy.

Original post shared by Directorate-General for Environment: Visit here.

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.