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
Every year in Ireland, we support events such as Spring Clean Month, Recycling Week, and Reuse Month. These events help people understand why it is important to recover, reuse, and recycle waste. They give you, your children, family, friends, and coworkers a chance to learn more and take action together in your community to reduce waste.
Recycling helps bring positive change. It encourages people in communities to work together and make a real difference. Recycling is good for the environment, supports community volunteering, and also creates jobs in cities, towns, and villages across Ireland. The more people reuse and recycle, the more benefits everyone gains.
When recyclable items are collected carefully, some of them can be repaired and reused. Others can be taken apart and used as materials to make new products. This process helps create jobs, supports businesses, and strengthens the local economy.
Recycling Plastic Parts Safely
Targets
Ireland is expected to miss its EU recycling targets for 2025. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the country is currently recycling about 42% of municipal waste, which is well below the EU target of 55%.
Recycling rates for packaging are also below the required levels. In 2023, Ireland recycled 59% of packaging waste, while the EU target is 65%. Plastic packaging recycling is even lower, at 30%, compared with the 50% target set by the EU.
Key points about Ireland’s recycling performance include:
Municipal waste recycling: Around 42%, which is far below the 55% EU target.
Packaging recycling:59%, compared with the 65% target.
Plastic packaging recycling:30%, well short of the 50% target.
There has been some progress. Ireland introduced the Deposit Return Scheme in 2024, which has helped increase the collection of drink containers such as bottles and cans. Early results show return rates of around 76%, bringing Ireland close to the EU target of 77% for PET bottles.
Plastic Bottles
However, overall recycling levels have not improved significantly in recent years, while the total amount of waste being produced continues to rise.
The EPA estimates that Ireland needs to recycle about 400,000 more tonnes of waste every year to meet EU recycling targets.
Most of these figures are based on 2023 waste data published in 2025, as the full data for 2025 has not yet been finalized.
Electronic and Electrical Recycling
When you think of electronic or electrical waste equipment (WEEE) or e-waste, do you think of items like computers, radios, light bulbs, zip disks, and tapes drives, clock alarms or wall clocks, even cameras, it’s really any items with computerized parts.
These items and similar are adding to an ever-increasing e-waste mountain and the pile usually starts building in people’s homes. We know electrical or electronic items are not recycled as easily or as frequently as other recyclable materials such as paper, glass or plastics. Some of the items are very large and hard to recycle, others are small and have a personal or perceived value so people don’t want to let them go!
Recycle IT Free Drop Off
Sharing Recycling Facts
Most laptop owners replace their device after about three years, while many mobile phones are replaced every two years or even sooner. This creates a lot of electronic waste that needs recycling.
Around 91% of households in Ireland had a computer with internet access in 2019, showing how common digital devices are in everyday life. (Source: Statista Research Department)
Today, about 90% of people in Ireland have access to a smartphone, making it one of the most widely used electronic devices. (Source: Ipsos MORI)
Smartphone ownership in Ireland is near-universal, with approximately 93% – 95% of mobile phone users owning a smartphone., and many checked their phone over 50 times a day and up to 200 times.
A record 62 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced in 2022, Up 82% from 2010; This is on track to rise another 32%, to 82 million tonnes, in 2030;
Recycling electrical and electronic equipment allows valuable materials to be recovered and reused, helping to support new jobs and industries.
Recycling one million laptops saves enough energy to power about 3,657 homes for an entire year. (Source: How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time)
Electronic waste can contain more than 1,000 different components, many of which include toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.
Devices such as computers and televisions often contain small amounts of gold, but it can also be found in mobile phones, game consoles, camcorders, and media players.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a single computer can contain about 3.6 kg of lead, which is a toxic metal.
A global survey by Nokia found that 74% of people do not think about recycling their old mobile phones, even though 72% believe recycling helps the environment. Only about 12.7% to 15% of smartphones are actually recycled globally, despite up to 80% of a phone’s materials being recyclable.
Large household appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators, made up 48% of all waste electrical items collected in Ireland in 2019. (Source: WEEE Ireland)
Devices like computers, laptops, and tablets are difficult to recycle mechanically because they contain many mixed materials and complex components that must be carefully taken apart. (Recycle IT)
WEEE Ireland collected 38,215 tonnes of e-waste in 2024, achieving a 9.5kg per capita recycling rate and exceeding EU targets with a 96% material recovery rate. . (Source: WEEE Ireland)
Irish households disposed of 3.2 million lamps and lightbulbs, 195,000 televisions and monitors, and 13 million small appliances in one year. (Source: WEEE Ireland)
Many electronic devices contain valuable metals such as copper, silver, and gold, which can be recovered through recycling.
Recycling e-waste helps reduce the need for mining new raw materials, which protects natural resources.
When electronic devices are thrown away instead of recycled, hazardous chemicals can leak into soil and water.
Proper e-waste recycling ensures that dangerous materials are safely handled and removed.
Reusing or repairing electronics can extend the life of devices and reduce waste.
Recycling electronics supports the circular economy, where materials are reused instead of thrown away.
Mixed Small Electricals
There are many ways that recycling helps our environment. Why not try to remember and introduce these 5 points.
A reduction in landfill and industrial waste by reuse or recycling.
Reduced energy usage by reuse or recycling.
Less pollution through reuse or recycling.
Increased employment by reuse or recycling.
Sustainable usage of natural resources by reuse and recycling.
When Irish people wish to make a point, they usually do it well. This needs to be the case with reduce, reuse and recycling
By recycling, your positive actions make you part of the solution rather than part of a global problem. As local communities we must plan and first take steps to reduce the amount of waste and including e-waste that is clogging up our lives .
Making sure that recyclable items such as computers don’t end up in the wrong bin, landfills or illegally dumped is an important step toward green living and environmental conservation for future generation.
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 for WEEE Recycling with permit details available here.
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.
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.
TV Recycling By Recycle IT
12 Reasons to avail of Free WEEE Recycle
Recycling conserves resources e.g. metal, plastics, water, fuel.
Recycling reduces clutter and creates space.
Recycling helps reduce Co2 emissions.
Recycling saves energy.
Recycling helps protect the environment e.g climate change
Recycling reduces landfill.
Recycling reduces domestic waste charges.
Recycling helps create and maintain local employment.
Recycling encourages others in your community to recycle.
Recycling using official locations or collections reduces the dumping of waste.
Recycling helps our children learn about sustainability so involve your kids.
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.
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.
Some of the many questions facing householders and business managers include how to create additional space while safely removing and recycling surplus or redundant electrical, electronic and metals items including, heaters, kettles, coffee makers, computers, servers, cables racking and much more.
The next question is, can we find a single solution which will safely collect and recycle domestic and office equipment all at the same time, Cost-Effectively or FREE (see below) and in an environmentally friendly manner.
Electrical Recycling at Work – Collection by Recycle IT
Recycle IT Can Help!
Recycle IT, based in Dublin, is an award-winningelectrical and electronic recyclingsocial enterprise with over 20- years experience in offering a collection and drop off services. From our centrally located recycling center just of the M50 near Clondalkin village offers a one-stop recycling service for all types of electrical and electronic equipment. Household and commercial items can be recycled.
With collection vehicles serving Dublin and surrounding areas daily (Monday – Friday) you should never have to wait long for a safe recycling collection. Our teams can usually collect within 3 to 6 days of your decision to recycle.
Kitchen / Household Equipment for Recycling
Our experienced teams provide a friendly, professional and timely service across Dublin and the surrounding areas daily. We collect directly from homes and organizations of all sizes and ensure safe recycling of your items.
Many items collected are broken down into their component parts for processing into new raw materials. Our facility team can cost-effectively physically destroy hard disk drives upon request.
Recycle IT – Collection of Business Electronics
Free Collections
Our collection teams are happy to accept any electrical items so do call or email with questions. If your part of a residents groups, you can arrange a free collection for your estate. We collect free from schools, charities, community and care organization. Recycle IT can also support FREE WEEE to Work Days for staff and as part of this collection we can accept non commerical items from your business.
We usually required work places to gather together 50 – 75 items for a free collection. This is usually easy when the staff team and management work together to arrange.
About Recylce IT
Recycle IT, are an award-winning Dublin based social enterprise offering electrical, electronic and metal recycling. Community recycling services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland.
Recycle IT are supported by, WEEE Ireland, Pobal, the Dormant Accounts Fund, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow.
Recycle IT 