What is WEEE?
WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. WEEE is any type of waste appliance with a plug or battery.
Larger household items include washing machines, ovens, televisions and computers. Smaller personal items also fall under WEEE such as cameras, toys, mobile phones and MP3 players.
WEEE and the regulations
The Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Regulations require producers and retailers of WEEE to be responsible for the financing of the collection, treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE.
It means that consumers of household WEEE are entitled to return the WEEE back Free of Charge, either to retail outlets (under certain conditions) or other authorised facilities, including recycling centres.
WEEE Ireland have an interactive map which can help you find the best place to go to recycle your WEEE. Mywaste.ie also have a similar interactive map which you can use.
Waste Batteries
Waste batteries and accumulators (rechargeable batteries) can be returned free of charge, to
- Retailers who sell equivalent batteries or
- other authorised collection points including local authority civic amenity sites.
However, you can also bring them to a Blue Battery Box to be recycled. You can find Blue Battery Boxes in:
- Local recycling centres
- Newsagents
- Supermarkets
- Schools
- Workplaces
Retailers must take back batteries of a type they supply, even if you did not get the batteries from them. You do not have to buy anything from the shop when you are depositing waste batteries.
However, retailers do not have to take back batteries of a type they do not supply. For example, they do not have to take back a car battery if they only sell batteries suitable for a torch or remote control.
Retailers do not have to accept contaminated waste that could be a health and safety risk to their staff, such as leaking batteries.
No purchase is required to return waste batteries.
Household batteries can be recycled at the following locations:
- Kyletalesha Landfill & Civic Amenity Site
- Portarlington Civic Amenity Site
Any queries in relation to the regulations should be addressed to environadmin@laoiscoco.ie
WEEE and the Consumer
The regulations impose obligations on retailers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (including internet sellers).
Free Take-Back Registered retailers must promote and arrange for the free take back and recycling of WEEE on a like for like basis. Therefore a customer purchasing a kettle can bring their old kettle to the retailer for recycling.
A retailer is not obliged to accept a washing machine if a customer has purchased a toaster.
For 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 defrosted and disconnected by the customer prior to collection.
Members of the public can dispose of their household WEEE free of charge at Portlaoise Recycling Centre, Kyletalesha and also Portarlington Recycling Centre.
Please note that commercial WEEE is not accepted at those facilities. Commercial WEEE comprises items used primarily by businesses and are not used in private households.
A paragraph in a footnote on WEEE Ireland’s website provides common examples of such commercial WEEE and suggests disposal alternatives: “large (bigger than desktop) printers and scanners, industrial dishwashers, autoclaves, incubators, servers, commercial fridges/freezers, cash registers, vending machines etc. To correctly dispose of [this type of] WEEE, please contact your supplier or licensed waste contractor such as KMK Metals or Wisetek.“
Obligations on retailers
Under the Regulations all retailers supplying EEE and automotive and/or industrial batteries must register as a retailer with their Local Authority (€200) or with the Compliance Scheme (free of charge) responsible for their area.
Each individual retail premise must register. Retailer registration is a separate requirement to Producer registration.
Retail Registration »All retailers selling electrical and electronic equipment must register with either:
- Their local authority
- €200/application/year laois-weee-battery-application-form or
- An approved registration body such as WEEE Ireland or European Recycling Platform.
Sellers of electrical and electronic equipment to the public are also legally obliged to comply with various other requirements under the WEEE Regulations, including:
- Display statutory WEEE signage in the shop & these must be displayed at each point of sale
- Provide information explaining WEEE take-back procedures and deadlines to the public
- Provide a suitable storage area for returned WEEE
FAQ's
Where can I recycle? - WEEE Ireland
Further information
For more information phone the environment section at 057 866 4000 or email environmentadmin@laoiscoco.ie
Ireland