In Ireland, Easter is a time of joy, family, and celebration, brighter days with summer not far away —but much like other times of celebration, it can also create a lot of unnecessary waste. This year, why not make a few simple changes to celebrate more sustainably?
Try reusing cardboard egg boxes for crafts is fun, creative, and eco-friendly. You can make models, decorations, or toys while reducing waste, saving money, and helping the environment at the same time.
Cut boxes into small cups to make bunnies or chicks, paint them, or turn them into decorated eggs. You can also use them to plant seeds, sort small items, or play colour games. When you’re finished, the cardboard can still go in the green recycling bin.
Change
Start by rethinking Easter packaging. Choose chocolates and treats with minimal or recyclable wrapping or support local producers who use eco-friendly materials. Better yet, consider homemade treats—they’re personal, delicious, reduce packaging waste and everybody in the house can lend a hand.
You can choose to ignore holiday trends. This includes avoiding web shops and high street stores selling decorations. Limit your social media exposure and focus on simplicity, keep spaces functional, and remind yourself decorations are costly, time consuming to buy, display, remove and store. They are not necessary for enjoyment or celebration.
Surplus Eggs
If you’re expecting lots of chocolate eggs as gifts, don’t let them go to waste once you’ve had your fill—incorporate them into desserts or cakes afterward. Leftover chocolate eggs are great for fun treats! Melt them for yummy hot chocolate, bake them into brownies or cookies, or make easy no-bake snacks like cornflakes nests or fridge cakes.
For Easter baskets, swap small chocolate eggs and single-use plastics for shredded paper, fabric scraps, or even reusable cloth and include gifts that last longer, like books, plants, or experiences instead of chocolate and disposable toys.
Finally, remember to recycle properly and compost food waste where possible. Small changes can make a big difference.
This Easter, celebrate thoughtfully—less waste, more meaning. 🌸
About Recycle IT
Recycle IT is anaward-winning social enterprise providing recycling collection and drop-off services for all types of waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal items.
Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dormant Accounts Fund, Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.
For further details about our free and cost-effective services call us on 01 4578321, email info@recycleit.ie or visit the Recycle IT website at www.recycleit.ie
Recycling home appliances helps protect the environment, saves energy, reduces waste, and conserves valuable materials. It’s a smart, eco-friendly choice for everyone. Recent statistics show consumers recycled a record-breaking 41,730 tonnes of electronic and electrical waste in 2023 – the equivalent of almost 200 forty-foot containers more than the previous year, new figures reveal.
40 Foot Shipping Container
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 for safe recycling to make their way into the circular economy.
Members of the public may dispose of all their old household waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) free of charge at Recycle IT in Clondalkin, Co Dublin.
40 Foot Collection Trailer
Recycle IT are happy to say we have worked in partnership with WEEE Ireland for 20 year to help recycle appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, cookers, hobs, televisions, computers, laptops, tablets, cables, toasters, kettles, heaters, clocks, lights, lamps and lots more! You will find helpful lists here.
How it Works
WEEE Ireland supports Recycle IT in the collection and recycling of old damaged or unused electrical items. This service is part-financed by the payment of tariffs from the producers who originally put the WEEE into the marketplace. Recycling opportunities are available free to resident groups through a door to door collection services. Up to 500 homes per day are offered an electrical recycling collection with help provided with lifting and moving items. The service is age-friendly and our teams are helpful so don’t be shy!
What does Electrical / WEEE Recycling Mean?
The WEEE Regulations were introduced to promote the environmentally responsible disposal, recovery, and recycling of consumer electrical goods and appliances in Ireland. The Regulations apply to all kinds of Electrical & Electronic Equipment but contain limited exemptions for certain types of devices, such as some medical or military items.
These regulations require the Producers (manufacturers and importers) and Retailers of Electrical & Electronic Equipment to ensure systems are in place to fund and encourage the return, collection, and recycling of WEEE items from the general public. Recycle IT supports this recycling activity and is licensed to do so.
Retailer / Consumers Recycling
Retailers of Electrical & Electronic Equipment, including internet sellers, are now required by law to provide for take-back of WEEE articles from customers free of charge, subject to the conditions below:
Free retailer take-back only applies when a new item has been purchased and on a one-for-one basis.
Mixed Domestic Appliances
Any item for return must be of a similar type as the new item being bought; e.g. a retailer is not obliged to accept a television if a customer has only bought a toaster.
With any household items that require delivery, retailers must collect the old appliance free of charge, and give at least 24 hours’ notice of delivery. Items such as fridges must be properly de-frosted and disconnected by the customer before collection. Depending on the retailer there may be a delivery charge.
All retailers selling Electrical & Electronic Equipment to the general public are legally obliged to comply with various other requirements under the WEEE Regulations, including measures relating to the:
Display of statutory WEEE signage in-store, which must be displayed at each point of sale;
Provision of information explaining WEEE take-back procedures and deadlines to the public;
Provision of a suitable storage area for any returned WEEE items.
Further information on the WEEE Regulations is also available on the EPA website.
Civic Amenity Recycling
In Dublin and surrounding areas all old, damaged and unwanted household electrical items, batteries and energy-saving light bulbs can be brought to your nearest civic amenity site for free recycling. A list of these locations in Dublin is available here
Recycle IT Recycling
Electrical and electronics recycling services have been operated by Recycle IT since 2002. Our teams work with householders, charities, schools, colleges, businesses, government, non-government and community-based organizations in Dublin and the surrounding counties of Kildare and Wicklow.
Recycle IT / Recycle TV’s
Recycle IT offer Residents Association door-to-door collections, personal collections and business recycling collections. Recycling services are offered to homes and organisations to help ensure electronic, electrical and metal equipment is safely recycled. Equipment collected flows through an authorized and approved recycling supply chain which feeds the circular economy and ultimately reuse.
As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Recycle IT has benefited the WEEE sector since 2007 by collecting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) from householders and community organizations who can find it costly and therefore hard to recycle.
Recycle IT Community Residents Collection
Examples of items that can be recycled for free include:
All types of batteries including farm fencing and automotive batteries
Torches, Power tools, and other Small Electrical Devices
Fridges, Freezers, Washing Machines, and Electric Ovens
PCs, Networking, TVs, Monitors, Cables, Chargers
Energy Saving Lamps and other Lighting Equipment
Along with any other household WEEE, you may have.
These types of items are accepted free by (Residents’ associations and organisations).
For full/downloadable lists of all items recycled please click here
If you miss your Recycle IT collection day remember that you can recycle your household electrical waste and waste batteries at our recycling centre free of charge. Click here for our location and directions. You can also arrange a cost-effective personal collection with Recycle IT. Just click here
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 collection regulations. Our permit details are available here.
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.
Circular Economy Strategy 2026–2028
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.
Circular Economy Strategy 2026–2028
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 Irelandfound 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
Recycle IT 2025 – Circular and Social Enterprise Awards
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.
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.
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.
Recycle IT 