Leitrim ranked worst county in Ireland for e-waste recycling

Leitrim has been named the worst-performing county in Ireland for recycling electronic and electrical waste, according to new figures released by WEEE Ireland.

The county recorded the lowest e-waste recycling rate in the country last year, with residents recycling just 4kg of electrical and electronic waste per person — less than half the national average of 9kg per person across areas covered by Ireland's largest e-waste recycling scheme.

The figures come despite a record-breaking year nationally, with more than 21.1 million electrical items diverted from landfill across Ireland.

WEEE Ireland's latest annual report shows almost 39,000 tonnes of e-waste were collected nationwide in 2025 — the equivalent of 7,425 truckloads.

The haul included 18.5 million small household appliances, 1.9 million lighting products, more than 278,000 televisions and monitors, and over 123,000 fridge freezers.

WEEE Ireland CEO, Leo Donovan, said Leitrim residents are making some effort to recycle but warned that more needs to be done.

"Leitrim people are making some efforts to do the right thing but this needs improving," he said.

Mr Donovan also argued that the current European system used to measure e-waste recycling does not accurately reflect modern consumer habits.

Under existing rules, recycling rates are measured against the volume of new electrical goods sold over the previous three years. Ireland currently falls short of the EU target, which requires countries to collect 65 per cent of the weight of electrical goods placed on the market.

"Europe's current measurement system was designed for a very different market," Mr Donovan said.

"Current collection rate targets do not adequately reflect modern consumption patterns, long product lifespans, or emerging technologies such as solar PV systems and heat pumps."

He said many of these products remain in use for decades before entering the recycling stream but are still counted in current sales-based targets.

The report found that 84 per cent of Irish counties improved their e-waste recycling performance last year, while 82 per cent of materials collected were successfully recovered for reuse in manufacturing — exceeding the EU recovery target of 80 per cent.

WEEE Ireland also collected 1,284 tonnes of portable waste batteries, meeting the EU battery collection target, while more than 1.4 million vape devices were recycled through its national take-back scheme.

Consumers can recycle old electrical items and batteries free of charge through civic amenity sites, participating retailers and WEEE Ireland collection events.