Via WEEE Ireland
Limerick residents are being encouraged to use free recycling options at local retailers and civic amenity sites.
Limerick shoppers are contributing to a surging national ‘fast tech’ habit, discarding small, low-cost gadgets after minimal use, according to new research published for International E-waste Day.
A European consumer study conducted by Bellegarde Scientific Consulting for the WEEE Forum, in conjunction with WEEE Ireland, reveals that 44% of Irish consumers discarded a fast tech product within 12 months, either completely unused, after a single use, or within a month of purchase.
Fast tech items, such as mini-fans, novelty festive lights, wireless headphones, power banks, and electronic toys, are frequently bought on impulse.
(Via WEEE Ireland)
WEEE Ireland estimates that 91 million fast tech items were purchased across Ireland last year alone.
Limerick residents currently recycle 8.8kg of electrical waste per person annually, falling below the 9.63kg average recorded across counties covered by the WEEE Ireland recycling scheme.
Elizabeth O’Reilly, Director of Environmental Compliance & Circular Economy at WEEE Ireland, said, “Because they are usually inexpensive, bought on impulse and easy to replace, fast tech products can be treated as if they are disposable.”
(Via WEEE Ireland)
“One product improperly discarded may seem insignificant, but when that behaviour is repeated across millions of purchases, these gadgets can become a growing waste problem.”
“Many of these products also contain lithium batteries that, if discarded in household bins, can be damaged during waste processing, leading to fires in bin trucks or at recycling centres. We’re urging people to treat these items as they would any other electrical product.”
The 12-country European study, which surveyed over 1,000 Irish respondents, highlighted significant consumer dissatisfaction with gadget durability.
Over half of respondents who stopped using fast tech items blamed product defects or breakage, while 83% expressed a willingness to pay more for higher-quality products if they lasted longer.
Fewer than half of those surveyed returned broken or unwanted electronics to free civic amenity sites or participating retailer drop-off points, with one in three admitting to placing gadgets in general household bins and over a quarter hoarding old devices at home.
WEEE Ireland is urging Limerick consumers to use free local recycling points at civic amenity sites and participating electronics retailers to recover valuable materials and prevent landfill contamination.